Naira Marley.
Photo courtesy of publicist.
The FADER’s “Songs You Need” are the tracks we can’t stop playing. Check back every day for new music and follow along on our Spotify playlist.
Naira Marley’s long-awaited debut album God’s Timing’s The Best arrives fully formed. Four years ago, I learned about him through “JAPA,” an electrifying, percussion-heavy track with a sticky refrain, and I've been hooked since. His blend of afrobeat rhythms, U.K. road raps, and dancehall allow him to fit into an assortment of molds, but he never loses track of his own identity. On God’s Timing's, the British-Nigerian singer’s pen effortlessly shifts between loving odes to Black women (“Melanin”), seduction (“Excuse Moi”), and stirring up a bit of fun trouble all across the world (“First Time In America”).
“Montego Bay” is a sweet escapist ballad for lovers. It’s meant to whisk you away from wherever you are so that you can pull your lover in close and take in the moment. There’s a comforting warmth in Naira Marley’s voice that makes it feel like it's possible to hop on the next flight out to a sandy beach. “When I decide to run I’ll run away, somewhere far away,” he croons over watery production. “Me, I have God, I never panic.”
