Sharing the vibe!

Stephen Marley, Bob's middle son, is probably the most talented of his 13 children, and in front of a packed house full of devotees at the Fillmore last night [4/22/2007], he, his brother Damian, and opening act K'Naan played the kind of sets that foreshadow a bright future for a music that is so steeped in its past.

That hope comes from a simple yet woefully uncommon trait: songwriting. All three artists have written a number of fantastic songs over the past few years on their respective albums, Mind Control, Welcome to Jamrock, and The Dustyfoot Philosopher, and they were on full display last night.


The best example of the lot was the final song of last night's 90-minute set. "Move," the Damian Marley track that puts his father's "Exodus" on steroids, complete with rapid-fire verses and a rumbling bass line, proved the perfect capper to the night. The mashed-up medley mixed "Move" with original pieces of "Exodus," and both Marley sons and K'Naan added new verses and a slice of spontaneity to the song.

The track closed out a night that started strong, as K'Naan, an MC that comes from Somalia by way of Toronto, delivered a set that was driven by the written word. Riveting wordplay is K'Naan's calling card, set to a simple sonic backdrop of African percussion and guitar. Although he's been touring almost nonstop in support of his 2005 debut album, K'Naan has been working on new material and debuted a fantastic new track last night that was set to programmed Mulatu Astatqe-style horn riffs.





May 07, 2007
Steven Marley's 'Mind Control' tour review - positive energy and performance
By Enigmatik Inviktus

Words can barely describe the great performance put on by K'naan, Stephen Marley and Damian Marley at the May 4th stop of Stephen's Mind Control US tour in Houston, Texas. If it was possible to bottle up all of the energy in the crowd, it would be enough to probably provide power to the city of Houston for the next 2 months. Good vibes, good drinks, great crowd, great music. It was truly an awesome show.

The DJ got the crowd ready with a jamming set of classic reggae tunes. Although his mixing was almost non-existent, the crowd still began to get energized by the music and atmosphere.

At about 10:00 PM, K'naan hit the stage. Truth be told, I had never heard of K'naan until the concert but the man made a fan out of me. K'naan hails from Somalia and if you're familiar with the country then you know it ain't all peaches and cream. The young man has risen up despite the struggles his country continues to face and has created music that is inspiring, uplifting, and just flat out jams.


He received an excellent reception from the crowd and ran through a flurry of hits for a solid hour. There were a few technical difficulties with the sound, but the situation was quickly resolved and K'naan gave a great performance. Songs such as "What's Hardcore", "In the Beginning" and "Smile" got the crowed incredibly excited. Before all was said and done, K'naan had everyone in the house chanting "It's the African Way!"

to end of article:

From top to bottom, K'naan, Damian Marley and Stephen Marley put on a truly awesome show. Their songs are overflowing with positive messages that transcend any barriers that you can think of. It was a great sight to see such a diverse audience come together and sing along to the messages of unity and joy that each artist delivered From Somalia to Jamaica to Houston, the three artists came out and delivered a classic performance. If they happen to be performing in your city, do not miss out on the show of a lifetime.

Posted by yardFlex at May 7, 2007 11:58 AM