Last weekend surge for Christmas albums
WITH CHRISTMAS Day 2017 on Monday, the Yuletide reggae albums benefiting from the season of stocking and stomach stuffing have increased, even though Yellowman’s A Very, Very Yellow Christmas has fallen off the iTunes listing of top 100 Reggae Albums, which it made last week.
Still, at that time, there were two reggae albums celebrating the season, and this time around, there are two. Maintaining a place going into the last pre-Christmas 2017 weekend is Jacob Miller’s Natty Christmas, featuring Ray I and Inner Circle, which was at number 19 just before midday yesterday. If Christmas really is the season of sharing, then the number 38 album, Joe Gibbs Reggae Christmas, embodies the collaborative approach as it is credited to the Joe Gibbs Family of Artistes.
It is a family with guests, too, as Beres Hammond is the guest on Winter Wonderland, while Horace Andy makes an appearance on Oh Little Town of Bethlehem. Then at number 43 is Dancehall Christmas, Scotty opening that set with Christmas Time Again. Jonny P does Christmas Frack, and
Pam Hall sings Santa Dow a Where. Johnny Osbourne and Trinity do a Christmas Medley, and Christmas Time is a combination between Anthony Redrose and Daddy Lizard.
ALL YEAR ROUND
In terms of sales, it is Christmas all year round for Bob Marley and his sons on the iTunes Reggae Chart, and their stocking remains stuffed. Peeping out of the top is Bob Marley’s face on Legend (Remastered) at number one, with only Stick Figure’s Set in Stone separating it from Legend (Deluxe Edition). Completing the top five are Tribal Seeds’ Roots Party at number four and The Green’s Marching Orders.
In an interesting turn of fortunes, Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley’s 2005 album Welcome to Jamrock comes in ahead of his 2017 set, Stony Hill. They are at number eight and 10, respectively. The current Grammy nominees are close as Chronology (Chronixx) is at number 11.
Buju Banton is getting a present of sales even as he spends what could be his final Christmas in a US jail as Til Shiloh continues to enjoy a good run, holding the number 16 slot.