Legend (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

A collection of Bob Marley’s most commercially successful and at times most moving work, Legend is an album whose towering cultural status nearly overshadows the legacy of the artist that it seeks to commemorate. Still, no amount of overplaying can lessen the impact of effortlessly perfect songs like “Three Little Birds”, “Buffalo Soldiers”, and “No Woman No Cry”. All of the songs here reflect Marley’s years of songwriting experience, and it’s a wonder that a song as spare as “Redemption Song” can engage so many divergent strains of musical history — Doo-Wop, Rocksteady, Gospel and more — with such masterful simplicity. Most of the material here is drawn from Marley’s years with Chris Blackwell’s Island records, and as such lacks the visceral punch of much of his earlier material. But Marley’s songwriting only improved as his career progressed, and what these cuts lack in rugged atmosphere they make up for in sheer brilliance. Simply put, Legend is one of the most rewarding and influential compilations of reggae music ever released.