Ziggy Marley: Love Is My Religion Live

When he first came to prominence during the mid-1980s, singer/guitarist Ziggy Marley fronted the Melody Makers, a quartet featuring his brothers and sisters. In more recent years, Bob Marley's oldest son has struck out on his own. Taking its title from his Grammy Award-winning album—and first independently-released effort—Love Is My Religion was recorded live at Los Angeles' Avalon Theatre in 2006, and finds Marley leading a nine-piece ensemble that spans cultures (Jamaican, American, and Japanese) and generations (silver-haired percussionist Uzziah "Sticky" Thompson has performed with Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, and Dennis Brown). Reggae is still the name of the game, but Marley adds a few dollops of hip-hop, funk, and fusion—credit face-scrunching guitarist Takeshi Akimoto for the latter—to his arsenal on these 19 selections that incorporate solo tracks, Melody Makers material (such as the hits "Tumblin' Down" and "Tomorrow People"), and classics from his father (including "Rastaman Vibration" and "Jammin'"). Marley is a seasoned performer, who looks and sounds at ease on stage in this respectable if not quite transcendent outing. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo, DVD extras include backstage interviews, a “making-of” featurette, and two music videos ("Into the Groove" and "Love Is My Religion"). Recommended. Aud: P. (K. Fennessy)