While his father, Jimmy Riley, had a successful reggae career as a solo artist and as a member of several groups, Tarrus Riley is establishing himself as a formidable musical threat in his own right. Though he began his reggae music career as a DJ, his vocal abilities have grabbed the attention of roots fans everywhere. Having a musical pedigree, Riley taught himself to play the keyboards and drums at an early age. The roots and Rastafarian themes that have characterized the genre for decades came through thoroughly in even his earliest songwriting.Riley stayed true to those traditional reggae themes on his debut album, Parables, which was released in 2006. He has avoided becoming a cliché though, displaying a developed maturity and a worldly quality that entices the listeners to truly listen to the music and not just hear it. Though he's obviously following in the footsteps of his father and reggae greats like Bob Marley, whom he references on several occasions throughout the record, in creating music of the same genre, that's where the comparisons can truly end, as the album has an original quality that comes across as refreshing. His vocals, lyrics and musical sense all came across one the album as quite advanced for a debut and paved the way for Riley to continue the traditions of the Jamaican culture on a similar scale to great reggae artists of the past.His follow-up effort, Challenges, came in 2008. Though it didn't make the same impact his debut did as far as units moved goes, the album showed that Riley is here to stay. He's also garnered more mainstream recognition for his live performances. Riley is a voice of an entire culture, generations past and present, and one whose spirituality and message that can benefit any person from any walk of life.
