DESPITE a report of sluggish sales by American company SoundScan, singjay Mr Vegas is pleased with the performance of his latest album, Sweet Jamaica.

According to SoundScan, as of December 9, Sweet Jamaica had sold a mere 1,963 copies in the United States where it was released in June by VP Records.

MR VEGAS

Vegas, however, is unfazed.

“The sales have been tremendous, especially the physical CDs. We are on our fourth pressing,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “We did our best as an independent label to promote the album. We were featured on Google Play, ranked 38th best album of the year in a US top magazine and recognised by the Grammy committee.”

Sweet Jamaica was among 53 albums selected on a provisional list for the Best Reggae Album category at next year’s Grammy Awards. It did not make the final five.

The 31-song album is Mr Vegas’ most ambitious project to date. The double CD contains covers of Alton Ellis’ You’ve Made Me So Very Happy, A Little Love by Jimmy London and Sweet Jamaica which he did with old school deejay Josey Wales.

Mr Vegas said he is particularly satisfied with the response to Bruk it Down, the album’s lead single.

For the third straight year, SoundScan revealed a significant drop in album sales for Jamaican artists in the US. No album by any top dancehall artist — including Sean Paul, Romain Virgo and Konshens — sold more than 5,000 copies.