Marlon Asher ADD

Review

Album Review: Marlon Asher - Safe

06/28/2025

by Gardy Stein

21 years after releasing his hit Ganja Farmer, Marlon Asher returns with an oeuvre called Safe. While this is exciting news, even more thrilling is the name of the producer behind the twelve tracks (plus the short interlude On My Way): Donovan "Don Corleon" Bennett, the mastermind of the early 2000s who has kept a low profile in reggae music recently. 

Listening to the opener Give Praises, a reduced Nyabinghi piece featuring "the Messenjah" Luciano, we encounter two more outstanding characteristics of the release. For one, the consciousness and spirituality of the lyrics, coupled with deep faith that is mirrored in the final King's Highway and in the title track, Safe. On the other hand, there is an impressive list of featured artists, most of which have accompanied Marlon Asher for years on his journey.

Thus, Sizzla is not only a respected colleague, but also a brotherly mentor who helped Asher with practical advice and even took him on tour to Japan recently. Together the two singers step boldly onto the laid-back, bassline dominated Never See Us Fall, encouraging us to "fix our crown" and keep pushing whenever obstacles come up. Equally powerful, Tarrus Riley and Capleton lend their well-known voices to Diamonds & Gold, a song complaining about the gangsterism that sweeps islands like Jamaica and Trinidad. "Why are their hearts so cold?" 

Not cold but warm has been the welcome that US-band Slightly Stoopid has given Marlon, making him an honorary member of their group. Here, they join him on the melodious I&I, another song giving praises to the Most High. While J Boog is an obvious choice for the love song Call Me, the final feature is a surprise given the deep, slow reggae sound of the instrumental that's so different from his usual output. Masicka is, however, a perfect addition to the meditative In The Hills, a description of how weed should be enjoyed far from city-life bustle as there's "no interruption, nobody to kill my vibe."

Speaking of: already a hit before the album was even out, Strictly High Grade has collected accolades ever since it was released on #420 and can be considered the Ganja anthem of the release. Along with Diamonds & Gold and Never See Us Fall it comes with a video produced by Xtreme Arts, telling the story of a man who's chased down by police for a bag full of herbs. Also out on visuals is Plastic Smile, a warning against fake people who seem to have no morals whatsoever. "Where they come from I won't go, I'll be chilled where the wind blows." Rounding off the album thematically, Revolution takes a fierce stance against Babylon, while Stay is a pledge to the lover who thinks about leaving. 

The result of a fruitful collaboration between Marlon Asher, Don Corleon and VAS Productions, Safe is a superb album that gets better with every round of listening; testifying that the "Ganja Farmer" is much more than a one-hit-wonder. Big shout-out to Matthew "Keely Keyz" Keaveny, who wrote most of the lyrics, and Kaylan Arnold, who provided the sweet backing vocals!

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