Bob Marley & The Wailers - Kaya

Titels

1. Easy Skanking
2. Kaya
3. Is This Love
4. Sun Is Shining
5. Satisfy My Soul
6. She’s Gone
7. Misty Morning
8. Crisis
9. Running Away
10. Time Will Tell

When Bob Marley died, he was one of the world's first global superstars—famous and celebrated from Europe to Africa to America. Some saw him not just as a reggae singer, but as a folk hero, a kind of freedom fighter. And to this day, his legacy is greater than the music he made, wrote Pitchfork. In the 21st century, Bob Marley is a global cultural icon and the first Jamaican inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. "Kaya," released in 1978, was the Jamaican artist's tenth studio album and was recorded during the same recording sessions as "Exodus." "Exodus" was still in the British charts when his follow-up was released. This was a testament not only to Bob Marley's phenomenal popularity at the time, but also to the man's impressive work ethic and his ability to manage his deteriorating health. On "Kaya"—a Jamaican Patois word meaning "grass" or "hemp"—Marley continued an unspoken tradition that had developed throughout The Wailers' discography: the fusion of Western sounds and motifs with the iconic traditions of Jamaican society. To date, "Kaya" has sold nearly 1.6 million copies! The album's success was reflected in six platinum and three gold certifications.

"Kaya" presents a more accessible version of Bob Marley. Lyrically, the songs eschew the political commentary and Rastafarian philosophies prominent on "Natty Dread" and "Rastaman Vibration." Instead, themes of love and ganja are emphasized, as in "Easy Skanking" and the title track. The palpable musical tension simmering beneath the surface of The Wailers' earlier work gave way to a more relaxed riddim. "Kaya" reveals a remarkably softer side of Bob Marley & The Wailers, but also documents the band at the height of their creative powers. The album's biggest hit, "Is This Love," reached number 9 in the UK charts, a modest achievement for a song that was ubiquitous at the time and has become a modern pop classic. Another love song, "She's Gone," remains one of Marley's most underrated gems. As the album progresses, darker clouds gather, including the mysterious "Misty Morning," the heavily syncopated "Crisis," and the existentially brooding "Running Away," which ends with a raw, distorted rap from Marley—a marked departure from his usual vocal delivery. The album closes with the unusual, folk-inflected "Time Will Tell" and a dark, Marley-esque refrain: "Think You're In Heaven But You're Living In Hell."

Analogue Productions now honors this masterful album with a sonically outstanding hybrid SACD, based on Ryan K. Smith's remastering of the original tapes at Sterling Sound, offering previously unheard-of audio quality for this reggae classic.