Stability returns after turbulent fortnight

CHART WATCH - BILLBOARD

After two consecutive weeks and wide-scale changes on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart, stability has returned to the listing valid up to Saturday, May19.

Two weeks ago, the new entries and projects returning to prominence after falling off the chart flooded the top 10, occupying seven slots to boot out many an album which had enjoyed a long, consistent run. Then last week, there was a shuffling of places, which significantly upset the order of things.

If the movement on those listings was like a tap turned on at full blast, then this week it is like a mixture of Milo and condensed milk without water. The top four remain unchanged, there is some shuffling around in the next four slots, and it is only at numbers nine and 10 that there are new entries and these are not debuts, but returning albums. In nine is Hollie Cook's Vessel of Love, a former number one which is now in its ninth week on the chart. I-Octane's Love & Life is at number 10 to notch up its third week on the chart, having previously peaked at number three.

At the other end of the chart, the top four in descending order are 44/876 (Sting & Shaggy) the various artistes Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica, Box Full of Steel (The Dubplates), and Stony Hill (Damian Marley). The number five set, the Sister Caro EP, was eighth last week, Romain Virgo's Lovesick has lost a place from last week's fifth position, and Chronology by Chronixx continues to reclaim ground by climbing to number seven, after returning to the chart art number nine last week.

In eighth is Marching Orders by The Green, which has slipped a slot. The former number one has now spent 21 weeks on the chart.