9/11 slows down ‘Half-Way Tree’ 

Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley’s 2005 Welcome to Jamrock has been so successful that, to some extent, it has eclipsed the success of his 2001 album Half-Way Tree.

That album, which had Marley narrating to position himself at the mid-point of Jamaican society, not only sold gold (over 500,000 copies) worldwide, but also earned him a Grammy award in the reggae category. Among the more popular songs was It Was Written, a song of confidence in spiritual life eternal (“They may kill you once, but they can’t kill you twice/Did you know destruction of the flesh is not the ending to life.”) performed by Marley brothers Damian and Stephen, with Capleton as the incendiary deejay.

Dawn Penn – Count Down to Outlook Festival

Right in the middle of ska and rubbing shoulders ever so briefly with reggae, rocksteady was briefly the prominent listen to genre of the mid-sixties over in the Caribbean. Dawn Penn’s smash hit ‘You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)’ was one of the most successful anthems of that intermediary movement. “The last time I checked it went to number one in more than 53 countries, including Hong Kong, Russia and Australia.” Originally released in 1967, ‘You Don’t Love Me’ featured Tommy McCook and the Skatalites and was a huge hit in her native Jamaica.

Nirvana gets a Reggae flavour 

Released to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s Nevermind, Battle For Seattle is a reggae take on 10 of the band’s classic tracks. As with previous mope-meets-dope experiments such as Dub Side Of The Moon and Radiodread, it seems destined to lie alongside plastic grinders, fire poi and vague anti-capitalist rhetoric in your local trustafarian’s flat. Yet fortunately the quality and richness of the arrangements mean that even the biggest snob will crack a wry smile on hearing, say, Lithium retooled as sunlit ska.

Reggae Loves Country: A 50-Year Romance

VP Records is the largest distributor of reggae music, and Warner Music Nashville is a preeminent country label. What could the two have in common? This month, a joint album — Reggae’s Gone Country.

Picture this: You’re at a massive street dance in Kingston, Jamaica, and the speakers are blaring the latest reggae and dancehall tunes. But the crowd erupts when the DJ drops this one: Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler.”

Matisyahu keeps busy with touring & recording

Staying busy on the road, Matisyahu will return to Massachusetts on Saturday for a show at Boarding House Park in downtown Lowell as part of the Lowell Summer Music Series.The Hasidic Jewish reggae star is currently touring behind his most recent release Live at Stubb’s, Vol. 2, the followup to 2005?s Live at Stubb’s, which launched  the Pennsylvania-native to fame behind his smash single “King Without a Crown”.

I-Octane, Khago & Teflon put differences aside, share stage at Capleton’s show

Prominent Dancehall-Reggae singjays, I-Octane, Khago & Teflon all put their differences aside, at least for one night as they shared the stage at Capleton’s annual “St. Mary Mi Come From” event early Saturday morning.

Capleton himself invited the three men on stage after 3am Jamaican time in an effort to promote continuity within the Reggae fraternity & quell what has been an intensifying feud involving the three men over recent months.

Caribbean vibes flow through online radio 

It’s amazing how the visually impaired manage to accomplish their feats. Though they cannot see, most blind people have other over-compensating senses, and usually an over-zealous aspiration for success.

But still, how are they able to run an Internet radio station? Caribbean Culture Vibes (CCV) streams live music online. Run solely by a group of blind citizens, the station already has a few hundred listeners and is growing swiftly. Put together by a few music lovers who simply needed something to do with their time, CCV radio is truly a marvel. Programme director and one of the DJs for CCVradio.com, Marlon “DJ Alex” Alexander explained to the T&T Guardian how they manage to air their Internet radio casts.

Dancehall Artists Mavado and Beenie Man to Return to U.S. After Visa Snafu 

After having their visas revoked by the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica in May 2010, dancehall artists Mavado and Beenie Man will return to the U.S. in the coming weeks with separate appearances in Queens, New York: Beenie Man at a birthday celebration on August 20th at Club Amazura, and Mavado at the first annual Reggae, Rhythm and Blues Festival on September 4th at Roy Wilkins Park.

Beenie Man and Mavado weren’t the only Jamaican entertainers who had their U.S. visas and work permits revoked last year — the others were deejays Bounty Killer and Aidonia and sound system selector Ricky Trooper; fellow artists Vybz Kartel and Sizzla had already lost their visas at earlier dates. The U.S. Embassy in Kingston gave no reason for revoking the visas, nor did they provide a rationale for their sudden reinstatement.

Cherine: The sexy side of Dancehall Soul 

The year 2011 has been a pretty productive one for Cherine. She has dropped her surname, Anderson, has a new album coming and new singles on the market. She has also formed a new band and strikes a new, sexier image.

And it’s only summer!

Night Life: Bassline reggae night has the crowds jamming

Even on a freezing winter’s night, the queue spirals a long way from the door, with people braving the cold to get into the Bassline.

It’s loud and you can hear the reggae tunes bellowing from inside.

African Storm Sound System hosts a reggae session every Thursday at this popular Newtown, Johannesburg, cultural precinct venue.