Sept. 27, 2017 | Abby O'Neill Reggae has long been the most vivid musical escape for me. Its soulcleansing riddims always feel familiar and cozy, like rushing into your lover's arms after a significant time away. This is especially true for roots reggae, whose staccato guitar licks, billowing bass, and sonic splashes on a canvas of negative space, are like salve for the soul. The midtempo pulse varnishes heads with KoolAid grins and daydreams of living beachside amid nature's unrestricted beauty.

Given all that, you can understand why I've been obsessed with Chronixx lately. At a time when dancehall has been dominating the Jamaican soundscape, its refreshing to hear the man born Jamar McNaughton carrying the rootsrevival torch for a younger generation and expanding upon the footprint left by his worldrenowned predecessors.

Chronixx and his band Zincfence Redemption paid a longawaited visit to the Tiny Desk to perform three songs from his sophomore album, Chronology.


Set List:

"Skankin' Sweet"
"Majesty"
"Spanish Town Rocking"

Musicians:

Jamar McNaughton "Chronixx" (vocals); Evan Mason (keys); Stephen Coore (guitar); N'Namdi Robinson (guitar); Hector Lewis (percussion); Adrian Henry (bass); Oliver Thompson (drums)

Credits:

Producers: Abby O'Neill, Niki Walker, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Niki Walker, Tsering Bista, Morgan Noelle Smith, Bronson Arcuri; Production Assistant: Jenna Li; Photo: Claire Harbage/NPR.

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