Surely, Jakob Dylan can understand Ziggy Marley’s struggle to find a day in the sun outside of his mighty father’s shadow. Like Dylan Jr., Ziggy created a band, The Melody Makers, for his initial steps out on his own, and like Jakob, Ziggy has scored some much-earned success on his own merits.

Now, however, Ziggy sheds his group-oriented skin and attempts a solo flight with "Dragonfly", his latest album. Unfortunately, he plummets back to earth with a muffled thud. "Dragonfly" is surely the weakest album to bear Ziggy’s name, and one can only pray this is not a sign of future efforts.

Leaving nearly every shred of true reggae behind, Marley has constructed an album closer to Eagle-Eye Cherry than the Wailers. Mixing hints of ska-lite with the adult alternative stylings of a Ben Harper, Ziggy creates gentle, bland acoustic strands with which to weave his songs. Unfortunately, those songs sound like their crafter spent little time or skill on them. Melodies are weak, flimsy, and forgettable, and the lyrics are tremendously lame. Considering this album screams singer / songwriter, the listener cannot help but wonder why Marley has failed to bring any songs with him on his new effort. Having ditched the Melody Makers, Marley has chucked the melodies as well. As a result, he goes down alone into the stagnant Adult Contemporary swamps with nothing to pull himself up from the muddled mire. He, as well as the music, simply sinks.

He is well intentioned, as his concerned messages prove, but simply stringing together a few warmed-over political platitudes into verse form does not give Ziggy any potent lyrics to buoy up his bland tunes. While the music streams by without exciting or offending, the lyrics constantly stagger and trip over themselves. Maybe recruiting such famous personalities as Flea and John Frusciante ate up the time he meant to spend on songwriting. Whatever he exhausted his energies on, he wasted his time. No big name musician can save these lame songs

Even the production hurts more than help, with each instrument crisp, sterile, and turned up to eleven. No dynamics allow the intimate arrangements to develop or to breathe, and any delicate texture is simply blown away by insensitive volume maximizing. Where the music aims for an organic, jam feel, the generic, blaring sound prevents any such vibe from developing. It is coldly in your face instead of warm and inviting.

Add all these fizzled elements together, and you end up with an album dangerously close to a Disney soundtrack. Imagine The Lion King with all its melodies replaced by a bit of reggae influence and a dirty word or two sprinkled in, and you have a good idea of what "Dragonfly" sounds like.

Ultimately, one can only hope this is a faulty first step and not an omen for Ziggy’s solo career. Those needing a reminder of how he made his name his own are hereby directed to spin 1989’s "Conscious Party", or, better still, "The Best of Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers (1988-1993)" from 1997. He has shone bright before. Here’s hoping "Dragonfly" is a temporary eclipse.

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Ziggy Marley
Dragonfly

Released: April 15, 2003
Origination Year: 2003
Time: 46:05
Tracks: 11
Produced by: Ziggy Marley, Scott Litt & Ross Hogarth
Engineered by: ??
Mixed by: Ross Hogarth, Marc Moreau & Ziggy Marley
Mastered by: ?? at ??
Style: Studio
Format: CD
Enhancement: None
Label: Private Music
Website:
www.ziggymarley.com

Dragonfly
True To Myself
I Get Out
Looking
Shalom Salaam
In The Name of God
Rainbow In The Sky
Melancholy Mood
Good Old Days
Never Deny You
DYKL (Don't You Kill Love)