"MInd Control" by Stephen Marley is surprisingly his 1st solo record, despite the many produced and written tunes amongst his siblings and other reggae artists over the years. Stephen is probably the most talented out of the Marley children (Damian being the most charasmatic). He produced the entire album and wrote some pretty good lyrics to go along with those mind numbing beats. He also played several instruments on the record. Some songs might have been overdone like "Let her Dance" however, his best are "Iron Bars," You're gonna Leave" and "Inna de Red." He has just enough guest appearances from Spragga Benz, Damian Marley, Mr. Cheeks, Mos Def, and a couple of Ghetto Youth artists not known in mainstream music at this time. Stephen unlike Ky-Mani, has produced enough cross-over reggae to leak into the underground hip-hop community without being too hip-hop!! He keeps his father's message alive with "Inna de Red," which is the highlight of this album (being a roots/dub reggae fan myself). Mind Control by no means is a classic or great album, it is a solid debut from a forgotten Marley child. Ziggy never connected with the roots reggae audiences, Ky-Mani doesn't know if he wants to be a rapper or reggae singer. Leading this Marley music drive into the immediate future is clearly Damian and Stephen. Hopefully this propels Stephen to produce more material for himself rather than for others.
(Note: Bonus track "Woman I love You" if purchased from iTunes).