CHART WATCH: 9 to five – again
THE TITLE of Jah9’s latest album readily lends itself to wordplay. A single digit which is the replacement of the second syllable of her first name (she is Janine Cunningham), there are many ways to twist it into associated meanings (like fertility, the standard length of a human pregnancy).
The set’s placement halfway up on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart for November 5, 2016 is a happy coincidence in matters of adjusting words. So 9 is at five (or 9 goes to five), its peak position in its third week on the listing. Not that it has not been there before – 9 made its chart debut in that position for the week ending October 1, 2016.
There is only one album on the chart which has not seen top 10 action before, Tafari’s Desire Fulfilled, which debuts at number nine.
Most of the shuffling is in the lower half of the top 10, as the top three remain the same as last week. For the third week running, Stephen Marley’s Revelation Part II: The Fruit of Life is at number two, making him consistently the highest placed Jamaican. Rebelution’s Falling Into Place is on top and Stick Figure’s Set in Stone is again third.
The Orange Album by Seedless is another re-entry at number four, its top placement in two weeks on the Billboard listing.
The two re-entries have pushed last week’s fourthplaced Nothing More to Say (The Frightnrs) to sixth, while Ziggy Marley (Ziggy Marley)
JAH9
has rallied from number nine to be at seven. Rounding out the top 10 are Fireflies by John Brown’s Body, at eight, losing a place from last week, and Wandering Soul (HIRIE), which has tumbled to 10th from being fifth last week.
On the iTunes listing of top 100 reggae albums up to yesterday morning, the Bob Marley and the Wailers pair of Legend albums, one the remastered and the other the deluxe edition, are in the unaccustomed position of second and third, respectively. Rebelution’s new release, Live at Red Rock, is at number one. It is the band’s second album in the top five, as Falling Into Place is at number four.
The top five has only two artistes, as another Bob Marley and the Wailers album, Gold, is at number five. Still, Rebelution has yet another set in the top 10, as their Peace of Mind (Deluxe) is at number six.
The highest-placed Jamaican on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, Revelation Part II: The Fruit of Life, is 10th on the iTunes ranking. Raging Fyah: (from left) Courtland White, Anthony Watson, Kumar Bent, Delroy Hamilton, Mahlon Moving and Demar Gayle