CD: Love Is My Religion

ARTISTE: Ziggy Marley

LABEL: Tuff Gong Worldwide

Ziggy Marley's Love Is My Religion, though not a lyrical bombshell, is testament to the musical fact that sometimes less is more. With 12 tracks, the last two of which are a fantastic acoustic and unremarkable dub mix of Love Is My Religion and Be Free respectively, harks back to the days when an album was not crammed with 20 tracks, sometimes bargain basement style.

The cover, in earthy tones with a drawing of Ziggy Marley, hands in pockets, is an indication of the sparing approach taken to the set, the lyrics printed in the art-filled insert confirms it.

Of course, the title track is the album's philosophical statement, coming second from the beginning in uptempo roots reggae fashion and then second from the end in superb, slow acoustic style to the guitar.

On the latter where the core lyrics "I don't condemn, I don't convert, this is the calling have you heard/bring all the lovers to the fold, no one is gonna lose their soul" come at the very beginning instead of the refrain, as in the version with music.

Marley expresses love for an uptempo Friend, a lover of A Lifetime ("like the lamb I will sacrifice to find you") and the connection with and through music with Into the Groove and Make Some Music.

And on Black Cat Marley packs the black experience into the feline with "Black cat you're beautiful, why does everybody run away/has anybody told you, I care".

It is on this song that the musical range which Love Is My Religion spans comes out best, as the very short Black Cat starts out slow with a near sonorous saxophone before speeding up on the first verse then further picking up pace to really swing towards the end.

Good old one-drop

It is not, strictly speaking, a reggae album, although there is the good old one-drop on Be Free, Keep On Dreaming and A Lifetime, but Into the Groove smacks of honky tonk with a guitar that would not be out of place in flamenco, while Beach In Hawaii has percussions blended with a superb, swift guitar.

Then there is that flute from Tracy Wannome which is featured heavily on Make Some Music. Among the other players on the musically superb set are Maka B on drums, Paul Fakhourie on bass, Stephen Marley, Takeisi Akimoto and Tim Pierce on guitar, Luis

Conte and Ross Hogarth on percussions and David Ralicke on saxophone, while Ziggy Marley is credited with bass, guitar, percussion and keyboards at various points. He writes words and music for the entire set.

Track listing

1. Into The Groove

2.Love Is My Religion

3.Make Some Music

4.Friend

5.Black Cat

6.Beach In Hawaii

7.A Lifetime

8.Be Free

9.Keep On Dreaming

10.Still The Storms

11.Love Is My Religion

(acoustic)

12.Be Free (dub)

- Mel Cooke