In a brief but glowing 3.5-star write-up by Evan Serpick in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, Mind Control is introduced as "The closest thing you're going to get to Bob" and is hailed as a new-millennium reggae essential.
"Stephen possesses a vocal tone that is uncannily close to his dad's," Serpick wrote. "Perhaps more important, Stephen is also blessed with some of Bob's songwriting gift."
Highlights of the album, according to Serpick, are "Hey Baby," which "features a verse from Mos Def and some skillful light R and B production," and "The Traffic Jam," which Serpick calls a "a stripped-down dancehall romp."
Perhaps most impressive to Serpick is "Iron Bars." The critic cites the "impassioned refrain" of "Let me out, let me out/I'm an angry lion" and "could be a roots-reggae classic."
Serpick concludes with a simple, powerful statement about the album and Stephen's future as a solo performer, writing that the album "does justice to Bob Marley's legacy -- and that's saying a lot."