Welcome to Jamrock

Last updated
Welcome to Jamrock
Music jamrock cover.gif
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 12, 2005
Studio
Genre
Length62:54
Label
Producer
Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley chronology
Halfway Tree
(2001)
Welcome to Jamrock
(2005)
Distant Relatives
(2010)
Singles from Welcome to Jamrock
  1. "Welcome to Jamrock"
    Released: March 14, 2005
  2. "Road To Zion"
    Released: 2005
  3. "The Master Has Come Back"
    Released: December 12, 2005
  4. "Beautiful"
    Released: January 24, 2006

Welcome to Jamrock is the third studio album by Jamaican reggae/dancehall artist Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley. The album was released on September 12, 2005, in the United Kingdom, and one day later in the United States.

Contents

Marley won two 2006 Grammy Awards for the album, Best Reggae Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance (for the track "Welcome to Jamrock"). Guests appearing on the album include Stephen Marley, Black Thought, Bobby Brown and Nas.

Recording

Production of the album was handled by Damian and his brother Stephen Marley. The pair had frequently collaborated, with Damian wanting to utilise the professionals already in his family. [1] The album's title track was inspired by the everyday life of Jamaica that the world does not know about. The title was a play on a song entitled "Welcome to Atlanta", which discussed the dark side of Atlanta. Inspired by this Marley wanted to showcase what it was like to live in a "third world country." [2]

Reception

Chart performance

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Christgau's Consumer Guide A− [4]
Entertainment Weekly A− [5]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Now Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [8]
Pitchfork 7.7/10 [9]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Spin 7/10 [11]
Tom Hull – on the Web A− [12]

The album debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200, and sold 86,000 copies, during its first week of release in the United States. [13] As of August 23, 2006, Welcome to Jamrock has sold 539,000 recognized copies in the United States. [14] Between September 2005 and 2007, the album spent more than 30 weeks at the top of the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. [15] In January 2022, it re-entered the chart at number 10. [15]

The title-track peaked at number 55 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100, but did better on the R&B and rap charts, peaking at numbers 18 and 12, respectively. It also did well in the UK, peaking at number 13.

Critical reception

Steve Yates, in The Observer , gave the album five stars out of five, concluding that "Like his father, Damian is tucked in well behind the cutting edge of digital production, but this fine collection of songs outshines the ephemeral delights of modern day dancehall. The Jr Gong is banging." [8]

David Jeffries, writing for AllMusic, gave the album four stars out of five, saying, "Besides the fantastic single, this album has 'legs,' with a bulging lyric sheet filled with vivid and crafty lines that offer plenty to focus on once all the sonic brilliance has sunk in. A career-defining moment that lives up to a huge hit, Welcome to Jamrock is a tremendous achievement." [3]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Stephen Marley and Damian Marley, except where noted. [16]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Confrontation" (featuring spoken introduction from Bunny Wailer) 5:29
2."There for You"
  • D. Marley
  • S. Marley
  • Levy
 4:41
3."Welcome to Jamrock"
 3:33
4."The Master Has Come Back"
 4:40
5."All Night" (featuring Stephen Marley)
 3:30
6."Beautiful" (featuring Bobby Brown)
  • Stephen Marley
  • Paul Yebuah
4:47
7."Pimpa's Paradise" (featuring Stephen Marley and Black Thought) 5:04
8."Move!"
  • B. Marley
  • D. Marley
  • S. Marley
 3:44
9."For the Babies" (featuring Stephen Marley)
  • D. Marley
  • S. Marley
 4:53
10."Hey Girl" (featuring Stephen Marley and Rovleta Fraser)
  • D. Marley
  • S. Marley
  • Yebuah
  • Stephen Marley
  • Paul Yebuah
4:14
11."Road to Zion" (featuring Nas) Irving Berlin  5:17
12."We're Gonna Make It"
 4:20
13."In 2 Deep"
  • D. Marley
  • Michael Jones
  • Mighty Mike
  • Stephen Marley (add.)
  • Damian Marley (add.)
4:44
14."Khaki Suit" (featuring Bounty Killer and Eek-A-Mouse)
 3:57
15."Carnal Mind" (bonus track) (featuring Chew Stick)  4:26

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic. [17]

Samples

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Welcome To Jamrock
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [24] Gold50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [25] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [26] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

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  3. 1 2 AllMusic review
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  5. Susman, Gary (September 9, 2005). "Welcome to Jamrock". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on November 24, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  6. Mojo (Publisher) (p.104) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[O]n tougher cuts 'In 2 Deep' and 'Confrontation' he's lyrically and musically most adept....He's following in the footsteps of Gil Scott-Heron and Linton Kwesi Johnson."
  7. Richards, Jason (November 23, 2005). "DAMIAN "JR. GONG" MARLE - WELCOME TO JAMROCK". Now . Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Yates, Steve (18 September 2005). "At last, cheers Steve Yates, a scion of Zion shows real talent". The Observer .
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