The album marked Ziggy's return after the Grammy-winning album Ziggy Marley in Concert.
Coming up on his third decade of making music, Bob Marley's eldest son Ziggy had already climbed the charts with a series of reggae-pop hits before doing some of that mid-career wandering that artists often do, going off on pleasing larks such as children's albums (2009's Family Time) or a return to rootsy reggae (2011's Wild & Free).
All the while, he watched his younger brothers Damian and Stephen launch the 21st century electro-roots revolution, but rather than join their fray, his superior 2014 effort Fly Rasta finds him acting as the Marley kids' proud elder statesmen.
Here, he's able to bundle his past into an album that's a welcome combination of comfortable and vital, kicking off with the very jam band "I Don't Wanna Live on Mars," a playful number that punches and high-kicks before sliding into a funky groove that recalls Ziggy's old crew, the Melody Makers.
Speaking of, the background vocals of Erica Newell plus Sharon and Cedella Marley mean this album features a Melody Makers reunion to warm the heart of longtime fans, while a guest shot from the legendary dancehall DJ U-Roy on "Fly Rasta" gives the album both a swinging highlight and an anchor dropped way into the deep end of reggae.
"I Get Up" is a horn-driven blast of pop and positive that sounds like "Tomorrow People" with more wisdom in the words, and while "You're My Yoko" sits on the track list like something to talk about, it's really just frivolous fun, tossed off with lyrics like "You're my beauty queen/You're my fashion scene" as if bed peace and breaking up the Beatles never happened.
Right-sized, organized in a sensible manner, and an alluring balance of cool and calm, Fly Rasta lives up to its title as it sits on Ziggy's top shelf.
Fly Rasta won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in February 2015.
Track listing
- "I Don't Wanna Live on Mars"
- "Fly Rasta" (featuring U-Roy)
- "Lighthouse"
- "Sunshine"
- "Moving Forward" (featuring Beezy Coleman)
- "You"
- "So Many Rising"
- "I Get Up" (featuring Cedella Marley)
- "You're My Yoko"
- "Give It Away"
All songs written by David Marley, 2013 Ishti Music (ASCAP) except "Give It Away" written by Jacob Luttrell, Geoffrey Early (APG/SESA/BMI) and David Marley (Ishti Music/ASCAP); and "Lighthouse" written by David Marley (Ishti Music/ASCAP) and Sam Martin (APG/ASCAP)
Band Members
- Ziggy Marley - Lead vocals and guitar
- Cedella Marley, Sharon Marley, Rica Newell, Tracy Hazzard, Ian "Beezy" Coleman, Vincent Brantley, Sean Dancy, Tim Fowlles - Background vocals
- Cedella Marley - Background vocal arrangements
- Steve Ferrone, Brian Macleod, James Gadson, Rock Deadrick - Drums
- Dave Wilder, Abraham Laboriel, Guy Erez, Paul Stennett - Bass
- Zac Rae, Mike Hyde, George Hughes, Dave Palmer, Brian Lebarton - Keyboards
- Lyle Workman, Takeshi Akimoto, Ian "Beezy" Coleman - Guitars
- Rock Deadrick, Randy Gloss - Percussion
- Taku Hirano - Taiko drums
- Ronobir Lahiri - Sitar
- Todd Simon, Geoff Gallegoi, Fabio Santana, Tracy Wannomae - Horns
- Liam McCormick, Owen Sutter - String arrangements
Production
- Produced by Ziggy Marley
- Additional production and mastering by Dave Cooley
- Mixed by Andrew Scheps
- Engineered by Isha Erskine
- Additional engineering by Jared Hirshland
- Assistant engineer: Alex Williams
- Executive producer: Orly Marley
- Production manager: Matt Solodky
- Production assistant: Michelle Rodriguez
Artwork
- Art direction and layout by Neville Garrick
- Cover artwork and imagery by Souther Salazar
- Layout by Rory Wilson
Notes
Released: 15 April 2014
Recorded: September–November 2013 at Village Studios, Los Angeles
Genre: Reggae, rock, funk, soul, pop
Length: 35:50
Label - Tuff Gong Worldwide
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