For Ziggy Marley, breaking out of his father's mold isn't the simple artistic challenge faced by other famous music-biz kids. He has also had to contend with the demands of family and culture – from the time he started to sing, he has been expected to carry on the Marley reggae tradition. This hasn't made it easy for him to find his own voice; the songs on Ziggy's last two albums, though slicker and brighter than anything ever recorded by the Wailers, are mere echoes of songs Bob Marley wrote more than a decade ago.

But on Jahmekya (the title is a play on Jamaica and "Jah makes ya"), Ziggy Marley has discovered a way to be both his father's son and himself. His inspiration, paradoxically, comes from the same place as Bob Marley's: the ghettos of Kingston. But in today's trench towns, the music of the Wailers era has passed into history. Dancehall is the sound that rocks young Jamaica, and Ziggy Marley, with the help of ex-Wailer keyboardist Tyrone Downie and programming ace Clevie Brownie, has put together a popwise adaptation of this booming, bassdriven island music. With edgy funkguitar riffs guiding the way, the best cuts on the album, such as "Kozmik" and "So Good So Right," fuse rock & roll swagger to dancehall's slam-bang rhythm. Ziggy Marley hasn't completely abandoned his familial obligations, as evidenced by weaker songs like "Jah Is True and Perfect." But the main revelation of Jahmekya is that Ziggy Marley has caught the groove of his own generation. (RS 606)

DAISANN MCLANE