Shaggy's latest album Intoxication debuted in the number one spot on the Billboard Reggae Album chart. The 15-track disc which features collaborations with the likes of Sizzla, Collie Buddz, Akon, Ricardo 'Rik Rok' Ducent and Nasha among others, was released a few weeks ago through a joint venture deal with Big Yard Music Group and VP Records.

Shaggy... to see all the great reviews that the album has been getting is really quite rewarding for me

When the Observer caught up with Shaggy via telephone Thursday, he was excited about the early success of the album.

"Intoxication is the most important album for me. It's the first time in my 17-year musical career that I was fully in charge of every aspect of an album that I have done. I was involved in the songwriting, the marketing, the making of the videos, the promotion and the whole works. It was a 110 per cent involvement," Shaggy said.

Shaggy pointed out that Intoxication gave him the freedom to do what he wanted. "I had no guys in suits telling me what to do. To see all the great reviews that the album has been getting is really quite rewarding for me."

He added, "We came back and cemented Shaggy with Church Heathen and then to drop an album to match all of that. This is an album that stands out in the core market."
Asked what was his favourite track on the album and why, Shaggy said "Woman Scorn. I like songs that I can come up with a subject that everyone can relate to".

Intoxication, according to Shaggy, took seven months to complete.

"This album was completed relatively in quick time. My last album Clothes Drop was a headache to finish and one of my worst because I had to make too many compromises. The only form of pressure that I came under while doing Intoxication was selecting the songs for the album. There are a lot of good songs that we left off," Shaggy pointed out.

Intoxication is Shaggy's eighth studio album. His first release was Pure Pleasure in 1993. Original Doberman for Greensleeves was released in 1994. A year later Virgin released the double platinum-selling Boombastic, while Midnite Lover, his final opus for Virgin, saw the light of day in 1997.

MCA Records released Shaggy's Hot Shot album in 2000, and the set became his biggest selling disc to date, shifting more than 10 million units worldwide. The set reeled out hits with Angel and It Wasn't Me (both of which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart), and Freaky Girl. Lucky Day arrived in 2002, while Clothes Drop hit the streets in 2005.

To date, Shaggy has scored four number one albums on the Billboard Reggae album chart. The previous chart toppers were Boombastic, Midnite Lover and Lucky Day.

The next single from Intoxication will be What's Love featuring Akon. A video is to be shot within the next few weeks.

"We wanted to do the video here in Jamaica, but we might have to do it overseas because of the busy season and Akon's other obligations," said Shaggy.

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