Reggae springs eternal

Bob Marley is still one of the most influential musical artists of recent history. Several decades after his untimely death, countless reissues, re-masters and compilations continue to spring out of the woodwork, and find favor among the music-buying public. While reggae has always had other artists championing the cause, Marley will forever be acknowledged as its Ambassador Emeritus, synonymous with the musical genre itself. With these two new releases, it’s interesting to see how reggae has also evolved, cross-pollinated, and continues to influence the contemporary musical scene.

Matisyahu: Youth (Epic/Sony)

The PR and hype couldn’t sound more like "novelty" than to proclaim Matisyahu (a.k.a. Matthew Miller) as a Hasidic Jew who sings beatbox reggae. And yet, that is exactly what he is. You may have caught the video of King Without a Crown, or heard snatches of his first Live at Stubb’s CD. Well, Youth is the second studio CD, his first on a major label; and truth be told, forget the hype, Matisyahu is just good reggae – and it doesn’t matter if he’s black, white, yellow or green, Jamaican, Jewish or from Jupiter. Beyond the novelty of the concept, Matthew has put together a really tight band, and while the lyrics do reflect Talmudic teachings, they can’t disguise the groove and magic of his Jamaican-inspired rhythms.

Besides the aforementioned carrier single, killer tracks include his What I’m Fighting For – which has the feel of being to Matisyahu what Redemption Song is to Bob Marley. Indestructible is a playful tune that puts one in mind of such songs as Natty Dread. When he does his speed-rapping to reggae, one remembers how exciting it will be to have a contest with our own Gloc 9. And the dancehall reggae tracks have the stamp of Sean Paul and other contemporary reggae artists. The "message" seems to be really important to Mr. Miller, and the cut WP is all about being in school and the lessons in life one learns in the process.

Throughout this CD, it’s sometimes disorienting to hear about Sons of Abraham or Zion and to hear Jerusalem and Shalom instead of Haile Selassie, Ethiopia and dreadlocks – but if classic reggae is your thing, you’d do well to check out this CD. The snatches of more up-to-date rockers reggae are there, but when Matisyahu exhorts his version of classic reggae, Bob Marley can only be smiling up in heaven.

Rihanna: A Girl Like Me (MCA Universal)

One of the really major dancehall hits of last year came from then virtual unknown Rihanna, and it was the very catchy Pon de Replay. A certified star in her native Barbados, Rihanna decided to strike while the iron was hot, and in less than a year, she has resurfaced with a CD of new material. This early on, the carrier single SOS is enjoying avid airplay. While it marks something of a departure from the reggae-tinged Pon de Replay, SOS and the CD A Girl Like Me establish Rihanna as one of the hot acts of 2006. She expands her reggae dancehall roots to now include R ’n B and Pop, and if I didn’t know better, it’s almost like she’s proclaiming "Beyoncé, watch out!"

One of the other standout tracks, We Ride is very Mariah, so we clearly see how Rihanna is going for a broader audience and testing the waters of the mainstream. Fortunately for us, the reggae influence still lives in numbers such as Break It Off (a duet with Sean Paul); Kisses Don’t Lie; Dem Haters and Crazy Thing Called Love (No, not the Queen song). A number of ballads, slow burn R ’n B, sprinkles the CD. And while I’m not as happy with these cuts, I can see how they will probably find their audience and broaden her fanbase.

While the reggae-tinged tracks such as Selfish Girl will more than suffice in establishing her identity, Rihanna uses the CD to proclaim she knows how to salute her roots while giving notice that "branching out" is foremost on her agenda. There’s a remix of Pon de Replay as a bonus track and I will not be surprised to find pundits calling her R ’n B Princess of the Year.