Bob Marley knows. Do you?
After Bob Marley’s death, his record company cobbled together an album, Confrontation, of leftover songs from different stages of his career. “Buffalo Soldier” emerged as the most-played song, as it should have, as it is one of his better songs, period.
But the compilation, in addition to being coherently listenable all the way through, contains a number of high points. “Trenchtown” is a kind of follow-up to the great “Trenchtown Rock,” linking music and freedom in similar ways. “Rastaman Live Up,” which ends the album, is one of the positive exhortations that Marley does so well, urging his people to never give up.
The highlight, for me, is “I Know,” which sounds like nothing else Marley recorded. With a rock beat and a synth backdrop, it barely fulfills the musical expectations of reggae and is the one song that suggests new musical directions for Marley had he lived. The title is a reference to his certainty that God will be waiting for him no matter what happens when he can no longer “run the race.”
“Ain’t it doggone good to know now that Jah will be waiting there?” You’re darn right it is, regardless of your religious persuasion. Really. And this song makes you believe it.
FOR YOUR PLAYLIST: “I Know” by Bob Marley and the Wailers.
IDEAL LISTENING: On the way home from an overwhelming day of work.