Free to Move
Ziggy Marley may have a voice that sounds uncannily like his father's, but musically it's Israel Vibration who carry Bob's legacy into the '90s. A couple years ago, onThe Rockalbum, they had reached a peak (no pun intended), a wonderful mix of the sweet and serious. ButFree to Movetakes a leap beyond that, and marks them as serious contenders to achieve the same sort of mass adulation as their inspiration. Like Bob, they never forget where they're from, and so you get the political bent of "Terrorist" and "System not Working," scathing words over a beat that skanks like it was just born. And then they stir it up with "Pretty Woman" (and yes, it does owe a debt to Roy Orbison) and the glorious "Feelin' Irie," which sounds so much like mid-'70s wailers that it could almost be part of their work. Not that Israel Vibration are retro. They simply make truly classic, and truly classy, reggae that stands outside space and time. Forget the bastardized crap of dancehall and ragga; this is the real thing.--Chris Nickson