Reggae in its purest form has been somewhat of a lost art over recent years. The likes of Sean Paul, Beenie Man and Junior Gong have tried, at times unsuccessfully, to revive the authenticity of a sound which has, as of late, been riddled with hip-hop endorsements, Bashment gimmicks and Pop hooks. But reggae’s return has a new pioneer: Stephen Marley, a legitimate ambassador for ‘roots music’ now stands at the forefront of the genre’s return with his new album ‘Mind Control’.

With huge shoes to fill, Marley can by no stretch of the imagination be expected to match, let alone surpass, his father’s legacy, but his effort is indeed a valiant one.

He does at times slip into territory so reminiscent of Bob that you could almost certainly be listening to a re-mastered edition of ‘Redemption Song’, particularly on ‘Fed Up’ - a ‘No Woman, No Cry’ reflective where his voice exhibits an uncanny resemblance to that of the late legend. Yet, this is by no means an attempted imitation, but in fact, a beautiful coincidence.

There is no denying the self-named Lion Yout’s own sound on tracks like ‘The Traffic Jam’ featuring his brother Damian, where the amazingly catchy hook ‘Pam-pamma namma nam man pan num…’ chants compellingly over the beat-box-driven base line making it an obvious choice for the first single. Courageously telling a nonchalant and up-tempo tale of being pulled over while in possession of ‘ganja’, the Marley brothers triumph both consciously and comedically.

However, aside from this track, the album has little cross-over appeal in the way that his half-brother Damian’s effort ‘Welcome To Jamrock’ so successfully did. But having penned much of his younger sibling’s 2005 LP, Stephen Marley’s gift for songwriting emerges as ‘Mind Control’s undeniable selling point.

On ‘Hey Baby’, Marley is joined by conscious rapper Mos Def, an ingenious pairing which breeds one of the album’s stand out tracks. The Jamaican sings about overcoming relationship adversities with a warm sincerity that sets the tone for what proves to be an openly honest album.

On ‘Iron Bars’ he insists, “Let me out, let me out! I’m an angry lion”, an empowering rebellion against suppression enhanced by features from Baby Cham and Mr. Cheeks.

Thankfully however, the album is not weighed down by collaborations. Marley holds his own over 13 self-produced tracks with a truly inspirational project that justifies his position as heir to the Jamaican throne.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Top Tracks:

4) Iron Bars

5) The Traffic Jam

10) Fed Up