Welcome to Jamrock | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 12, 2005 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 62:54 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley chronology | ||||
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Singles from Welcome to Jamrock | ||||
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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.
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.
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]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | A− [4] |
Entertainment Weekly | A− [5] |
Mojo | [6] |
Now | [7] |
The Observer | [8] |
Pitchfork | 7.7/10 [9] |
Rolling Stone | [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.
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]
All tracks are produced by Stephen Marley and Damian Marley, except where noted. [16]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Confrontation" (featuring spoken introduction from Bunny Wailer) | 5:29 | ||
2. | "There for You" |
| 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) |
|
| 4:47 |
7. | "Pimpa's Paradise" (featuring Stephen Marley and Black Thought) |
| 5:04 | |
8. | "Move!" |
| 3:44 | |
9. | "For the Babies" (featuring Stephen Marley) |
| 4:53 | |
10. | "Hey Girl" (featuring Stephen Marley and Rovleta Fraser) |
|
| 4:14 |
11. | "Road to Zion" (featuring Nas) | Irving Berlin | 5:17 | |
12. | "We're Gonna Make It" |
| 4:20 | |
13. | "In 2 Deep" |
|
| 4:44 |
14. | "Khaki Suit" (featuring Bounty Killer and Eek-A-Mouse) |
| 3:57 | |
15. | "Carnal Mind" (bonus track) (featuring Chew Stick) | 4:26 |
Credits adapted from AllMusic. [17]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [24] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [25] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [26] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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