Jah Cure, Bob Marley lead top 10 reggae albums list
Published:Thursday | December 31, 2015 | 12:00 AMCurtis Campbell
Billboard writer Rob Kenner has compiled a list of the 10 best reggae albums of 2015 with Bob Marley and Jah Cure holding the top two spots.
Noticeably and quite ironically, UK-based singer Joss Stone, who was recently named Reggae Artiste of the Year by Billboard.com for her effort, Water For Your Soul, did not make the top-10 list. Stone's album spent eight weeks at the top of the Billboard chart, selling 29,000 copies, beating Bob Marley's Easy Skanking in Boston ' 78 into second place. However, it would appear that her accomplishment was not enough to arrest Rob Kenner's interest.
For those persons tracking Stone's reggae progress, her exclusion from the top-10 might not come as a surprise, since she was given a failing grade for the album in July of this year by Billboard reviewer Steven J. Horowitz, who said the album was unconvincing.
"The songs are technically impressive, as expected from Stone, but unconvincing," he wrote.
Jah Cure, who sits on Billboard's top 10 list at No. 2 behind Bob Marley, is described as an artiste who possesses one of the most powerful voices of his generation.
Other artistes who made the cut include Morgan Heritage (Strictly Roots) sitting at No. 3, Protoje (Ancient Future) at No. 4, Barrington Levy (AcousticaLevy) which sits at No. 5, Alaine (10 of Hearts) at No. 6, Dub Syndicate (Hard Food) coming in at No. 7, Junior Reid (Living Legend) at No. 8, No-Maddz (Sly & Robbie presents No-Maddz) at No. 9 and Mr Vegas (Lovers Rock & Soul) which clinched the No. 10 spot.
Gospel/reggae singer Carlene Davis, again missed recognition with her album, Dripping Blood, despite spending several weeks on the Billboard Reggae Top 10.