One Love - The Bob Marley All-Star
Concert Tribute.
Conceived
with DVD release in mind, this high-end, live video concert taped in Jamaicalives up to its title with a
generous repertoire of Bob Marley songs performed by reverent pop, hip-hop,
rock, and reggae veterans. Shot on a rainy night in December 1999, the home
video version expands upon an inaugural TNT cable telecast with an additional
hour of performances. The DVD edition adds a premium level of special features
and exclusive content.
The
music's the main thing, of course, and on that front One Love is
uniformly respectful, orbiting around Marley's songs and infused with whiffs of
his Rastafarian world view and reggae's broader Third Worldperspectives. Marley's family members
serve as hosts and frequent collaborators, with a limber house band further
reinforcing a coherent, communal element to the performances, and the titular
all-stars immerse themselves in Marley's world. Lauryn Hill opens the concert
with what is clearly one of its highest points, a joyful "Turn the Lights
Down Low." Chrissie Hynde and Erykah Badu take turns duetting with Jimmy
Cliff, and another reggae titan, Toots Hibbert, proves a perfect, ebullient fit
with a current lineup of the Wailers. The celebrity choices include a
conspicuous subset of American folk-rockers in Tracy Chapman, Ben Harper, and
Hootie and the Blowfish's Darius Rucker, with Chapman the most convincing in a
glowing version of "Three Little Birds."
Avid
reggae fans may be mildly frustrated by the overall crossover thrust of this
homage, which favors Yankee rap and hip-hop (via Busta Rhymes and Queen Latifah)
instead of homegrown dancehall; it tantalizes us with glimpses of Marley's
peers, like Cliff and Hibbert, while being largely occupied with sustaining its
parade of non-reggae marquee names. For most viewers, though, the scope of the
concert and the first-rate sonic finish will sustain the spell, an effect
powerfully expanded on the superb DVD version. --Sam Sutherland
One Love - The Bob Marley All-Star
Concert Tribute.
Ras John Pick!