Unlike some rock-star progeny, Ziggy Marley directly confronts his birthright: "I am my father's son," he sings in "Brothers and Sisters," from his latest album, Joy and Blues. He sounds comfortable with that fact, but with a voice eerily like Bob Marley's and backed by a Wailers riff, his confidence has an edge. If you didn't get the message, the next song is a loving cover of an obscure Wailers song, "There She Goes." Performed with more muscle than earlier Melody Makers albums, neither song would sound out of place on Rastaman Vibration or Kaya. Impressive, but something of a letdown following Jahmekya (1991).

On that album, the Melody Makers found their own voice, adding rock and dance-hall elements to their more traditional reggae. About half of Joy and Blues continues in that vein: The title track grafts insistent tom-toms and slashing guitars onto a sinuous groove, while "Head Top" is a joyous romp – a studio to dance-floor narrative incorporating swirling cross-rhythms, boastful raps and a description of a new dance the band claims is sweeping Jamaica. "Rebel in Disguise" is the better of Stephen Marley's two solos – a tightly wound two-chord lope enhanced by his grainy vocal and a snaking trombone.

The other half of the album sounds familiar. In its lyrics, the band has traded in the "have a good time" sentiments of Jahmekya in favor of Rastafarian screeds. Songs like "World So Corrupt" or "Garden," with its repeated refrain, "Jah don't spare the rod so the man can't spoil," seem like sops to the traditionalists, with "Talk" and "X Marks the Spot" proving that Ziggy can address modern subjects without losing his Rastafarian fervor.

While Joy and Blues is inconsistent, even the most pro forma songs are enlivened by instrumental and production flourishes. Lightweight but listenable is fine if you want to get by on your famous name, but Ziggy Marley has shown he is capable of more. (RS 664)

STEVEN MIRKIN