Reggae Music Again by Busy Signal is at number seven on Welcome to the top 25 albums of 2012, a chart compiled by music pundits at BBC Music. According to a release from the station, the table is based on votes from “a wide selection of BBC Music critics, DJs, and presenters from Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 1Xtra, 6 Music, BBC Scotland and BBC Ulster”.
The release stated that each voter submitted their top five albums for the year, which included DJ mix CDs, downloadable/free mixtapes and brand-new releases. Each position in these top fives was worth a points score: first place was awarded 10 points; second, six; third, four; fourth, two; and fifth, one. Once the votes were tallied, scores for the albums were added together to create an overall top 25.
Released in April by VP Records, Reggae Music Again is Busy Signal’s fourth album. It returned poor sales in the United States, but British critics warmed to the set.
The BBC’s Lloyd Bradley was among the impressed, writing: “With Reggae Music Again Busy Signal builds on all the clever musicality of 2010’s D O B to produce an album that, appropriately for the 50th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence, immerses itself in reggae music heritage. This is far more than what it seems to be billed as, namely ‘Busy Signal changes style’. It’s an important evolution of dancehall, connecting it to the timeline of Jamaican music, then pushing forwards into the 21st century”.
Interestingly, Reggae Music Again was not nominated for the Best Reggae Album category at the 2013 Grammy Awards. Shane Brown, who produced the album, told the Jamaica Observer that he is not surprised it was overlooked.
“I’m definitely disappointed but at the end of the day I know how the Grammy judges think. A lot of them may never have heard about Busy Signal,” he said.
The BBC Music’s ‘Welcome’ chart was topped by American hip hop artiste Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city, followed by American singer/songwriter Frank Ocean’s Channel ORANGE and veteran British band Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ One Day I’m Going to Soar, which came in at number two and three, respectively.
The Top 10 is completed by (4) Jessie Ware — Devotion (5) Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs — Trouble (6) Death Grips — The Money Store (8) David Byrne and St Vincent — Love This Giant (9) Alt-J — An Awesome Wave (10) Alabama Shakes — Boys & Girls.