With its wistful chorus, the title track to Julian Marley's Awake invents a new sort of reggae-emo sound. Influenced by the passing of his grandmother, Cedella Marley Booker, the song is a beautiful plea for the youth to open their eyes and let peace, love, and harmony into their heart, but this melodic mix of emo-pop and island music is an anomaly, opening up an otherwise unsurprising Julian Marley album. Less adventurous and more traditional than his stepbrothers Damien and Stephen, Julian is the sibling to satisfy the more roots-oriented fan, although he does carry a healthy R&B influence like so many other contemporary reggae artists. The silky "Oh Girl" would sound just right on any urban radio "pillow talk" program, while the spiritual highlight "Just in Time" falls somewhere between Barrington Levy and Wyclef. The remaining big numbers are straight-up Jamaican with "Violence in the Streets" sounding like a worthy follow-up to brother/guest star Damien's "Welcome to Jamrock," while the smoker's song, "Boom Draw," offers "A little bit of draw was on Solomon's throne" as the already deep drum and bass get soaked in reverb. Well-rounded and yet firmly in the genre of reggae, Awake is a comfortable, familiar success with Julian anchoring the Marley Family legacy once again.
It has to be to tough to be a reggae musician and the son of Bob Marley. Imagine the expectations! How can anyone live up to that lineage? Maybe he should considered another profession, like rabbi or insurance underwriter.When I listened the first three or four times to Julian “JuJu” Marley’s new album, Awake, which [...]
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Julian Marley sits down and talks about his relationship with that mary jane. Check out his new single, “Violence In The Streets” by clicking here and look for his new CD “Awake” available on iTunes now.
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The more things change, the more things stay the same—it’s been nearly thirty years since reggae icon Bob Marley’s untimely passing, but the political, social, and economic struggles he spoke about in his music remain. Now, three of the legend’s sons have come together to craft a cut that addresses many of today’s hot-button issues while remaining firmly rooted in the genre’s traditio
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Taken from Julian Marley’s new album ‘Awake’, which is released May 26th on Universal. Boom Draw - Julian Marley
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It has to be to tough to be a reggae musician and the son of Bob Marley. Imagine the expectations! How can anyone live up to that lineage? Maybe he should considered another profession, like rabbi or insurance underwriter.When I listened the first three or four times to Julian “JuJu” Marley’s new album, Awake, which [...]
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 "Awake")
