Rating:
Genre:
Reggae
Release Date: 07/08/2008
There have been so many really atrocious (or, at best, really tedious)
Bob Marley remix projects that it comes as a deep surprise to encounter one that truly hits the spot. Interestingly, this one succeeds because the remix artists featured -- an all-star cast featuring such notables as the
Fort Knox Five,
Cordovan,
Bombay Dub Orchestra and
DJ Spooky -- approach the source material with love and respect, rather than using it as a jumping-off point from which to showcase their own mad skills. Each of them puts a unique fingerprint on one of
Marley's songs, but each also manages to keep the focus on the song itself rather than on the treatment. Thus, we get a brilliantly skittery and funky mix of
"Small Axe" from
Paul & Price and a rich but restrained reading of
"Soul Shakedown Party" by
Afrodisiac Sound System, and
DJ Spooky even manages to make a silk purse out of the sow's ear that is
"Rainbow Country," one of
Marley's least compelling compositions. Not everything is brilliant:
Afrodisiac Sound System drops the ball just a bit on their ho-hum version of
"Soul Rebel," and
Trio Elétrico's mix of
"Trenchtown Rock" saps more energy than it adds to the original. But for the most part, this album is like a seminar in how to bring new life to already top-notch material. Highly recommended overall.
~Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
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