Dancehall virtuosos turned cross-over successes Damian Marley, Shaggy and Sean Paul are among five Jamaican acts nominated in the Best Reggae Album category in the 48th Grammy awards.

The nominations, which also include veteran singer/songwriter Burning Spear and cultural reggae supergroup Third World, were announced yesterday by the Recording Academy and are for recordings released during the eligibility year October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005.

Marley received the nomination for his album Welcome To Jamrock, which is creating a lot of buzz internationally. He won the award in 2002 for his set Half Way Tree.

Shaggy was nominated for his current set Clothesdrop; Sean Paul for The Trinity, which, since its release in September, has gone platinum; Burning Spear for his album Our Music, an 11 track set released by the singer's Burning Music Productions; and Third World for their Black, Gold, Green celebration of Jamaica released in July this year.

Sean Paul had won the Grammy in 2003 for Dutty Rock which fuelled his career and established him as one of the major players in the reggae/hip-hop genre.

Shaggy also holds a Grammy for the platinum-selling Boombastic. His Clothesdrop features an eclectic mix of artistes, including, Will.I.Am (of Black Eyed Peas), Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls and the Jamaican singing duo Brian and Tony Gold.

Feeding the multitude

DANGEROUS PETS

Pepper Pot