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'Welcome to Jamrock' in the top 10 of 2005 singles

    The popular US music industry publication Rolling Stone magazine, has listed Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley's smash single Welcome to Jamrock among its top 10 singles of 2005.

    The song was ranked as number four for the year,  right behind Rihanna's number two pop single Pon De Replay. Rounding out the top ten were Gold Digger by Kanye West and Jamie Foxx, Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani, Still Trippin by Mike Jones, Slim Thug and Paul Wall, Do You Want to by Franz Ferdinand, Rakata by Wisin and Yandel, and Sittin' Sidewayz by Paul Wall featuring Big Pokey.

    The Welcome to Jamrock album ranked among Rolling Stone's Top 50 albums for the year, finishing in the number 49 position. To cap a big year for the young Marley, he picked up two nominations in the 48th annual Grammy Awards, including for Best Reggae Album. He won the Vibe Magazine’s Boom Shot Award and he picked up the UK’s MOBO Award for Best Reggae Act.

•A Galore of a hit for reggae singer Wayne Marshall

    Wayne Marshall makes the hit bound trek with his latest release I Forgot Them, which is featured on the new Galore rhythm.  The dancehall singer whose real name is Wayne Mitchell, strolled out of 2005 with a number one hit in Make Them Come.

    I Forgot Them which was produced by the duo of Leftside and Esco, is a clever piece of work combined with a spirited performance which makes the track just as palatable as Marshall’s recent chart hits including Marry Wanna, The Right Herb and Die without You.

     I Forgot Them boasts a lively tempo that posses the right ingredients to make it an across the board hit. The lyrics will without a doubt find favor with hardcore dancehall fans, as Marshall brings a coy playfulness to the song.

    A video for the song was recently shot in Kingston. It was directed by music video maven Nordia Rose.

    George Nooks and Beenie Man score big with Money in My Pocket

    One of the big hits during the latter part of 2005 was the combination single Money in My Pocket by George Nooks featuring Beenie Man. This engaging remake of the Dennis Brown 1978 hit was produced by the Tads International label.  It is also featured on the album George Nooks Sings Dennis Brown, which the label recently released to the public.

    Money in My Pocket is riding the local charts and at last check had peaked at number four.  Nordia Rose recently directed a video for the track which should start airing on local television screens soon.

•Gyptian scores with Mama Don’t Cry

    Gyptian is on the go with his hot new single Mama Don’t Cry. The Portmore based Gyptian exploded last year with the haunting Serious Times which spent multiple weeks at number one on the local charts.  It came as no surprise that the song emerged as one of the biggest shots of the year, and positioned Gyptain as the Best New Artiste of 2005.

    Mama Don’t Cry was produced by the No Doubt Records label, the same entity which gave us Turbulence’s tasty Name and Number hit.

•BITS AND PIECES

    Richie Stephens scored big with his annual Unity Splash show which was held on Sunday night at the Landillo Cultural Centre in Savannah-la-Mar, Westmoreland.  From an entertaining Willie Bouncing Bounty Killer, the fiery inferno created by a combined performance from Capleton and Beenie Man, to the sweet sounds of Coco Tea, the electrifying Junior Gong to the sultry Macka Diamond, the production saw a major improvement over its 2005 staging.  Sanchez and Wayne Marshall also nailed in solid sets.

    Shaggy to team up with John Legend?

    And, Sizzla recently collaborated with Carmen Electra.