Ras Kronik creating an oasis of reggae treats in Las Vegas desert

LAS Vegas, Nevada is synonymous for its desert-like conditions, but up-and-coming reggae/dancehall singer and toaster Ras Kronik’s music has been providing a form of oasis for avid reggae and dancehall music lovers.

The award-winning entertainer has been keeping the music alive with his various releases, and show-stopping performances. His reach is not limited to Nevada, as he is also carving out a name for himself in parts of California.

Ras Kronik’s credentials have been slowly building. In 1998 his single Gold in My Treasure from his first release They Treat Us Bad, got as far as number 11 on RJR’s Top 20 chart. He would later release the album Life in 2005 which got positive reviews from critics. In 2007, he was nominated for Best Reggae Act by the Black Music Academy of America. He won the award the following year, 2008, for his album Breaking Loose.

Influenced by the music of Buju Banton, Beres Hammond, Bob Marley and Maxi Priest, among others, Ras Kronik financed his career by becoming a professional welder.

Said the Nevada-based Ras Kronik, ‘I have been doing music for a while now and it has been a pursuit trying to let the world know your music and its positive vibes. It’s never easy when it comes to making your music. It’s how you do it and the experiences you have had.,

His third album The Real Thing was recently released.

Phil Collins takes charge of the UK album chart

The action on the UK album chart continues to heat up. While singer Seal narrowly missed the Top 10 with his latest effort Seal VI: Commitment, veteran rock/soul singer Phil Collins made a triumphant return to the hot seat.

Collins’ covers album Going Back, moved from four to land into the number one position. This is Collins’ first number one album in 12 years, and his sixth solo number one album overall.

Collins, the former lead singer for the group Genesis, has spawned a string of hit singles over the years since he went solo. Among his well-known hits in Jamaica are One More Night, Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now), Groovy Kind of Love, Another Day in Paradise and Separate Lives (featuring Marilyn Martin).

Bruno Mars is on top on both sides of the Atlantic

Singer Bruno Mars would never have imagined that his cameo spot on rapper BoB’s number one single Nothin On You would’ve made him a household name. Mars has scored his first solo number one hit with Just the Way You Are.

Just The Way You Are is not only number one in America on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but it simultaneously tops the UK Pop Singles chart, bringing an end to the two-week reign of Start Without You, the collaborative effort between Alexandra Burke and Laza Morgan.

Mars is set to drop his debut solo Atlantic Records album later this month. He recently hit the UK Top ten as a featured artiste on Travis McCoy’s Billionaire.

Zac Brown Band edges Maroon 5 in race for Billboard 200 top spot

Maroon 5 had to settle for a number two debut and first week sales of 142,000 copies of its brand new album Hands All Over on the Billboard 200. The sales are a far cry from the group’s 2007 album It Won’t Be Soon Before Long which sold 429,000 copies in its opening week.

Zac Brown Band emerged winner in the race for the number one spot, moving 153,000 copies. The group’s previous set Foundation peaked at number nine in May of this year.

Last week’s number one album Linkin Park’s A Thousand Suns, falls to number three.

BITS AND PIECES

Akon previews his forthcoming album Akonic with the release of his brand new single Angel, which debuts at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Christina Aguilera cops the number one spot on the Billboard Dance Music Club Play chart with You Lost Me. Donna Summer is hot on her heels with To Paris with Love which bullets from 12 to 5.

One-half of the duo Floetry, Marsha Ambrosius makes a healthy move on Billboard’s R&B singles chart with Hope She Cheats on You which moves from 33 to 25.

Halle Berry’s ex-husband, singer Eric Benet pays homage to the music of the 1970s on his new album Lost in Time which is set for a November 23 release. The first single sx vaults from 24 to 22 in the R&B Singles chart.