BY KEVIN JACKSON—
Nominees are The Cure by Jah Cure (VP Records); Branches of The Same Tree by Rocky Dawuni (Cumbancha Records); Acousticalevy by Barrington Levy (Doctor Dread Presents); Zion Awake by Luciano (VP Records); and Strictly Roots by Morgan Heritage (CTBC Music Group).
Industry insiders predict Jah Cure or Barrington Levy could take home the prize.
The Grammy committee, however, is not swayed by sales figures.
If Jah Cure wins, it will be the first sole Grammy win for New York independent label VP Records. The label had a joint victory with Atlantic Records and Sean Paul’sDutty Rock in 2004.
Levy earns his first nomination in a near 40-year career. He could win on sentiment.
Acousticalevy is an unplugged collection of some of his biggest hit songs. It was released by Doctor Dread Presents, an independent company owned by Gary ‘Dr Dread’ Himelfarb of RAS Records fame.
Zion Awake is the second Grammy nomination for Luciano. The album was released by VPAL Music and has to date sold over 1,200 copies. Luciano’s previous Grammy nomination was in 2002 for A New Day.
Morgan Heritage released Strictly Roots through their CTBC Music Group. It topped the Billboard Reggae Album Chart upon its release in April. This is the group’s first nomination; Strictly Roots has sold over 5,000 copies to date.
Branches of the Same Tree is California-based, Ghanaian reggae artist Rocky Dawuni’s first Grammy nod. The singer’s sixth album was released on the Cumbancha label last March.
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