Stephen Marley

Hand-drums, flutes and acoustic guitars populate the acoustic release of Stephen Marley's 2007 Grammy-winning Mind Control record. While it may seem odd to issue an acoustic version of the record (and odder still that the folks at the Grammys felt Stephen deserved another nomination for this disc ― sorry to all reggae artists who lack that magical last name), Mind Control Acoustic's meditative feel is the perfect match for Marley's up-close-and-personal vocal style, and the deconstructed tracks make a nice excursion from most of what is released in Jamaica these days. And to be fair, the track list is slightly different. The album is, at times, in danger of being overcome by pretty acoustic guitar chords and over-average ballads ("You're Gonna Leave," "Fed Up," "Hey Baby"). But breaking this cycle are two brilliant tracks with brother Damian. "The Mission" loses none of its militancy, serving to give one of the best deejays working today a chance to shine yet again. If "The Mission" is Stephen and Damian standing firm inna Babylon, "The Traffic Jam" is them at their boyish and jovial best. The tale of a car-side police interrogation for ganja gives Stephen a chance to show off his underrated skills at chatting, and suggests that an entire album of these two brothers could perhaps achieve a career high for both.