EP REVIEW: MARLA BROWN x DELIVERANCE (THE CROWN PRINCESS OF REGGAE)
Picture this, it’s a Friday evening and instead of the late night turn up you’ve participated in before, you’ve decide to hold a vibes with a few of your irie friends somewhere around a bonfire or on the beach. Now, what would be on your playlist for something like this?
This seven track EP titled Deliverance which was released by the talented daughter of reggae legend Dennis Brown late last year would be the perfect addition. London-based artist Marla Brown who has had a history in the performing arts decided to remind us of the musical genes she’s inherited from her father.
Her voice having a sweet sound of Indie mixing against the traditional island beats of her heritage, she does a wonderful job showing off both aspects. Especially with the song ‘Better Days’ her first single from the EP. She sings her own remix to her fathers ‘Deliverance Will Come’.
Within this project she sings on various topics ranging from promoting self love such as the song ‘Superstar’ to describing why we deserve second chances when it comes to love on the track ‘Mama (Earth)’.
She collaborates with upcoming artist Runkus on ‘One Shot’, describing a shooting incident. The lyrics reminding me of Rihanna’s ‘Man Down’. Singing about ‘good intentions’ & ‘running from the law’. Runkus then comes in directing his words to a police officer and providing his own set of vocals.
In what seems to be a tribute to her father. Here Comes The King shows off her stellar vocals and includes some of her daddy’s various lyrics not straying from Mr. Browns influence.
She also features hit reggae artist Kabaka Pyramid in ‘Hunt You Down’ which paints a picture of the life of a criminal with lyrics like ‘They’re gonna take you down like a pilot in a plane, landing in your sorrows and your pain.
This EP sets a tone of peace, love and unity. Marla’s choice of using conscious lyrics to bring across the same messages her father once did, was an ideal path to take. Also including her own preferences singing over RnB sounding beats and having her charming voice be the reason as to why I have this whole project on repeat.
BOB MARLEY 71st BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: CONCERT REVIEW 6/2/16
Artists celebrating the life & legacy of Bob Marley on what would be his 71st birthday.
Bob Marley’s birthday weekend was off to an amazing start with the annual celebration at his residence on Hope road otherwise known as the Bob Marley museum.
It was a beautiful sight seeing people from all over singing along with the selections of Bob’s greatest hits and shopping for memorabilia and souvenirs.
After I took my turn exploring the grounds it was time to tune in to who would be performing during the reggae jam session.
The lineup included many new upcoming artists like 5 Star, Girl, Runkus, dBURNZ & more followed by Reggae Ambassadors such as Kelissa, Iba Mahr & Jesse Royal. The night ended with a nostalgic performance by Marley’s grandson Skip Marley, who by the way is the spitting image of his grandfather.
There were many outstanding performances but I was even more grateful to witness the following:
5 Star:
As soon as he came out on stage I knew I was going to be in for a treat. I personally believe that the way you perform is a way in which your audience and fans can get to know you better without having a one on one greeting and from the start I was very intrigued by his energy. He performed a song titled ‘Warn Dem’ that was very well received by the crowd. He left the stage completing the task every artist’s wishes to achieve and that is leaving your audience with something to remember.
Runkus:
I’m just going to say that Runkus was probably one of my favorite acts of the night. His enthusiasm while performing was so intense he had the whole crowd mesmerized with his music. What especially grasped me where his powerful lyrics & beats which you couldn’t possibly refrain from moving to.
dBURNZ:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I was very jealous at the girl who got serenaded by dBURNZ. I’m not going to hide it. His voice sweet eeeeeh! He performed his single ‘Bet Yuh Never Know’ & most likely won over every girl in the audience.
Towards the end, Dre Island took the stage singing his verses from his song ‘Apple Tree’ with UK singer Tom Prior & his latest single M-16. Kelissa made an appearance with her brother Keznamdi singing the fan favorites, Gideon, Live for Today, & Best Kept Secret. Also Iba Mahr, in all white apparel, gained new international fans with his distinctive voice. Singing songs like Great is H.I.M off the popular Rootsman Riddim & Diamond Sox. Immediately after, Jesse Royal blazed the stage with his hits like ‘Gimme Likkle’, ‘Finally’, & ‘Modern Day Judas’. The latter three did an outstanding job and were perfect for being this year’s Reggae Ambassadors.
At this point, I’ve been standing for a total of ten hours and I was pretty much ready to go. I was tired, hungry & I’m pretty sure my afro smelled like ganja straight. I couldn’t leave just yet though. Skip Marley was set to perform. And I am so glad I didn’t leave. Watching him perform felt as if I was at an actual Bob Marley concert. Based on documentaries and old video footage of Bob Marley’s concerts, Skip was basically his modern day clone, from the way he held his guitar to the way he caressed the microphone and got lost within his grandfather’s music, it was truly a wonderful thing to witness.
After a few tribute songs I decided to leave, trust me my muscles started to burn, but Skip was definitely on my list of artists to watch. I am already hooked to the several songs that he’s released and hope to hear more about him within the year.
Overall, this was a very successful event/concert. I’ve always heard that these annual Marley celebrations were special and why wouldn’t they be? It was peace, love and unity throughout the entire night.
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