Stephen Marley’s first solo album has been in record stores for less than two weeks, but it’s already making history. The genre-defying, mind-bending Mind Control, released to glowing reviews March 20, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard reggae album charts, marking yet another Marley family musical milestone. Stephen had gained acclaim within reggae circles by producing and playing on many Grammy-winning chart-toppers over the years, including his brother Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley’s 2005 smash, Welcome To Jamrock, which hit No. 1 on the reggae album charts in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

For his own solo album, the noted multi-instrumentalist mixed hip-hop beats with classic reggae and added A-list guest stars, including Mos Def, Ben Harper and Jr. Gong. The approach is paying off, and the first single, “The Traffic Jam,” has already soared to the top of the charts in Jamaica and England while making a dent in the playlists of key U.S. rhythmic/crossover stations such as New York’s WQHT, WLLD in Tampa, Fla., and WZMX in Hartford, Conn.

The critics have spoken, too. People magazine wrote that Mind Control is a “masterful fusion of reggae and hip hop,” Entertainment Weekly called it “the best Marley album in a generation” and Spin declared Stephen “heir to reggae’s royal family honors dad’s legacy” in a four-star write-up. Seizing the momentum, Stephen is currently on a North American tour that also features Jr. Gong and the Somalia-born, Toronto-bred hip-hop star K’Naan. He’s also slated to hit the late-night TV circuit, including an appearance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” on May 10. The tour winds up on May 20 in Orlando, Fla. Until then, Stephen will enjoy his time in the top spot on the reggae charts.

Stephens Official Site

In the four-plus decades since Stephen’s father, Bob, pioneered the reggae movement in Jamaica in the late 1960s, Marley family members have hit this particular height 17 times. Bob leads the way, of course, with 12 appearances at No. 1 — all of them reissues of classic albums or compilations. He hit the top spot twice with Natural Mystic: The Legend Lives On, which headed the charts in 1995 and in 1996, and also scored with Soul Almighty: The Formative Years, Vol. 1 (1996), Dreams of Freedom: Ambient Translations of Bob Marley in Dub (1997), Best of Bob Marley (1997), Chant Down Babylon (1999), Catch A Fire deluxe edition (2001), One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley (2001), Legend deluxe edition (2002), Gold (2005, 2006) and Forever Bob Marley (2006).

But his children are starting to catch up. Grammy-winner, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers reached No.1 with The Spirit of Music in 1999, and his brother Damian followed suit with Welcome To Jamrock’s triple-no. 1 feat. With Mind Control now hovering at the top of the charts, it’s clear that 2007 is Stephen’s year to shine.

Source - Bobmarley.com

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