CHECK LIST****<i> Great Balls of Fire</i> ***<i> Good Vibrations</i> **<i> Maybe Baby</i> *<i> Running on Empty </i> : The Marley Legend--The Second Generation

****ZIGGY MARLEY & THE MELODY MAKERS. “Conscious Party.” Virgin.

When 19-year-old Ziggy Marley started showing flashes of brilliance approaching that of his late father, Bob, on 1986’s “Hey World!” album, it seemed too good to be true. Even when he proved to be a captivating presence on stage, there was still a nagging sense that the magic was somehow a mirage attributable to the physical and vocal resemblance to his father.

This album should dispel all doubts: “Conscious Party” is everything you would hope for from an album bearing the name Marley. It neither rests on nor breaks from the Marley legacy but adds to it.

With backing from Dallol, a solid Chicago-based band of Ethiopian reggae musicians, and subtle decoration from producers Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads, Ziggy and his three singing siblings have created the freshest thing to come to reggae since 1981, the year their father died.

There’s a youthful fire to the likes of “Lee and Molly,” an interracial dating saga that features guest guitarist Keith Richards. But the youngster also shows maturity way beyond his years on such musically delightful, lyrically intense calls for righteousness as “Tumbling Down” and “Have You Ever Been to Hell.”

But the family connection is strong. From the opening invocation of the title song on, it’s in every phrase young Marley utters, but the voice--though uncannily like Bob’s--shows no signs of imitation.

The music and lyrics also bear the marks of reggae’s greatest name: slinky rhythms and soulful melodies, Biblical imagery both spiritual and carnal--all delivered with firm, undeniable conviction. “Conscious Party” is not just a great reggae album, but a great album by any standard.