Nazarenes

The Nazarenes recorded with producer Laurent "Tippy I" Alfred in the U.S. Virgin Islands near the Jamaican birthplace of Rastafarianism, but the brothers were born in Ethiopia and claim their family "worked" for the late emperor, Haile Selassie. It's a catchy backstory for Noah and Medhane Tewolde, who now reside in Europe, and testifies to the worldwide connections of reggae, a music born under humble circumstances in the Kingston slums. Packed with iconography derived from the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition, Meditation features steadfast yet easy going island grooves in a polished setting, the ear-candy reggae melodies coupled with spiritually and socially conscious lyrics. </p>