Ziggy Marley

Ziggy's first album in three years is sun-baked fun, the sort of record made for summer days. The string arrangement on "A Lifetime" is a bit garish, but otherwise the music is loose, funky and nostalgic, dipping into one-drop roots reggae on tracks such as the moody "Make Some Music" and ""Black Cat." Marley's lyrics are celebratory, romantic and positive. Even the political tracks, the defiant "Be Free" and "Keep on Dreaming," are ultimately optimistic. For the most part, Marley sounds love struck, which is sweetly endearing.