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Ky Mani Marley

Amoeba Music, Los Angeles, 11/26/07

review and photos by Lori Abel

Monday November 26th, I was introduced to Ky Mani Marley’s music. I went to Amoeba music early to beat the crowd I thought would form outside to see him. It was about 5:15 p.m., and he was slated to play at 7 p.m. I perused around the store to keep a watchful eye on the stage.

An hour went by and center stage was still pretty clear, so I grabbed a place just to make sure I wouldn’t lose my place within the next hour. Ky Mani Marley’s band was setting up the entire time. Two keyboards, a Macintosh lab top, bass, drums, electric an acoustic guitar, and three mics. All were meticulously tweaked. I was getting excited. The band was eager to play, you could see it in their eyes, a gleam that couldn’t wait to sizzle. At 6:45 they kicked out a jam that was really reggae and a lot of funk from the bass player. At 7:15 Ky went on. Every member emitted a strong vibe that they wanted to enliven this Amoeba crowd. Two fine ladies paraded across the stage before Ky came out, and took their power places at the mics.

The 12 song set, over all was quite a mix, of rap, rock and reggae. “The March” was their first number. I was caught completely off guard, with his thuggish lyrics for the first song. Reggae being my first love, my feet were moving but he had my mind headed for the door. His ladies surely secured the attention needed to brace the crowd for such a mix of genres. Second, he moved right into “Radio”, which is the title of his newly released album. “I Got You” was a slower tempo, with few lyrics, though highlighted his skill as a performer as he danced and sang with one of the back up singers. “The Conversation” was a high-energy grind between Ky and both his ladies of the stage. I was almost blushing as they danced. The chemistry of the band, the singers and Ky made me a believer at this point. You could see by this fourth song they had taken Amoeba to a new dimension. Ky took the crowds energy down a bit, performing the evening’s first reggae cover. “So Much Trouble” sounded like a version of Bob Sr. had he lived on to today. Ky’s voice is weathered and gruff possibly from his upbringing on the streets.

Followed by a song with a chorus of “Hey Hey Hey”, which was a 50/50 blend of rock and reggae. To pick us up again, “Hustler” which you could tell was a band favorite as they sung the chorus and the crowd sang too! Ky danced right up into my notebook as I tried to scribble some notes. He wanted me to drop everything and dance too!

Next they went into “Turn Your Lights Down Low”, and the crowd gasped in delight. The keys were cheesy and stylized. It was reminiscent of 90’s soft rock, but Ky shined. Throughout the songs you can see depth within his emotions. Every lyric was accented by movement with his eyes, brows, and hands. During the number, the ladies swooned, but the guys in the back rows seemed lost, as the band jammed out a bit too long. His sweat poured out so much, he glowed. “No Woman No Cry,” was followed by his own, “One Time” which was once again enjoyed by the band and Ky. He laughed underneath the lyrics at each gallivant across the stage. As the band was in their element, they couldn’t contain their inside jokes. “One Love” closed out the show as if to put a sweet cap on the evening. I had no idea they were ready to close it out, as they seemed ready to play on into the night.

LA