Dragonfly
Ziggy Marley

HOT PICK

It's an interesting irony that as Ziggy Marley's singing voice ages and becomes more and more similar to that of his late father, the music he makes gets more and more distant from the reggae mainstream. And on Dragonfly, his first album without the Melody Makers, his explorations go even further afield, leading him to spend far more time with hip-hop beats and spare rock & roll than one-drop reggae grooves. There are plenty of great beats and well-crafted instrumental textures (thanks in part to such high-profile guest musicians as Flea, David Lindley, and DJ Chris Kilmore), with "Looking," with its lilting highlife guitars, standing as a highlight. Rick Anderson