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SINGJAY Anthony B was released from the Methodist Dallas Medical Center in Texas yesterday.He was admitted there last Saturday after collapsing during a performance at a Dallas nightclub.According to his publicist, Ronnie Tomlinson, he was suffering from dehydration and exhaustion.”He is now resting and drinking lots of fluids, as per doctors orders,” Tomlinson said in an e-mail response to the Jamaica Observer.”Thanks to all my fans who said a prayer for the I,” Anthony B said in a statement.As he recuperates, he will reschedule dates for his upcoming European tour, Tomlinson said.The opening show was booked for the United Kingdom tomorrow.Anthony B (real name Keith Anthony Blair) burst onto the music scene in 1996 with the song Fire Pon Rome for producer Richard Bell’s Startrail label.Bell also produced his follow-up hit, Raid the Barn. He is one of the best touring acts in contemporary reggae.

TWO weeks after its release in the United States, Sean Paul’s fifth studio album Tomahawk Technique, has returned paltry numbers.Released by Atlantic Records, it debuted and peaked at number two on Billboard’s Reggae Album chart. The disc was initially released in Europe early this year.But Tomahawk Technique has not showed up on any of Billboard Magazine’s major charts and is currently number four on the publication’s Reggae Album chart.It is the 39-year-old artiste’s lowest charting album in the US.Figures obtained from Sound scan  which tracks music sales in that country, indicates that Tomahawk Technique sold just over 1,200 copies in its opening week.This figure pales in comparison to Sean Paul’s previous releases.

He debuted in 2000 with the VP Records set Stage One. To date, that album has sold over 500,000 copies and contained the hits Deport Them and Hot Gal Today (Haffie Get Da Gal Deh) featuring Mr Vegas. Both singles entered Billboard’s R&B Singles chart.His 2002 major label debut, Dutty Rock, sold 65,000 copies in its first week. The album went on to sell two million copies in the US and four million copies globally.The Trinity, his third album, was released in September 2005 and set a record for first-week sales by a Jamaican reggae artiste. It opened with 107,000 copies and debuted in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 Album chart. Fueled by the singles Give it up to Me, We Be Burning and Temperature, The Trinity sold more than four million copies.The 2009 album, Imperial Blaze sold well outside of the US, charting in Japan, France, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany.Tomahawk Technique has also fared better outside of the US. Two singles, Got 2 Luv U featuring Alexis Jordan and She Doesn’t Mind, were chart-toppers in Switzerland and figured on several European charts.

Too many Jamaicans are not able to answer those questions correctly. Reggae music has come a long way since its inception in the 1960s but the evolution seems to be greeted with waning interest.It is unfortunate that the birthplace of one of the most unique and transcending music genres seems to have forgotten about it.Local radio stations would sooner play dancehall or bubblegum pop songs than they would reggae music. This is not to say that they’re to blame – they are only catering to the needs of the vast majority of their listeners. So who is the culprit here?Veteran reggae producer, Gussie Clarke, stated that while it might seem that way, he does not believe reggae is a dying genre.Clarke believes that reggae music is well represented in Jamaica, even though he named German reggae sensation, Gentleman, as today’s biggest reggae act.

Since the ’70s, Gussie Clarke has been one of Jamaica’s top reggae producers, having worked with some of the bigger names in the genre -Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Freddie McGregor just to name a few.While acknowledging that there is much uncertainty surrounding the future of reggae, Clarke said what was needed was more musicians, producers and great engineers, instead of just people building “riddims”.He added that artistes need more professional managers if they were going to go far.The reggae aficionado believes that it was these aides that helped to elevate Bob Marley’s career to the level that it got to.According to Clarke, Bob Marley made the impact he did because he made great music, worked with great musicians and had a proper management team and record company who had a vision for him and the necessary resources to exact that vision.

Jamaica only has a handful of reggae acts while the dancehall market is over-saturated, even though, on the international market, reggae is more popular and marketable than the locally lauded dancehall genre.Although not all dancehall songs are lewd and bloodthirsty, there is a fast-growing niche especially in the younger generation, which seems to gravitate towards this brand. The violent, sexually charged lyrics and hard-hitting beats seem to be very much appreciated, but mostly locally.The dancehall artistes that really explode on the global scene are the ones whose lyrics are less explicit – cue Sean Paul, Shaggy and the self-proclaimed king, Beanie Man.

Another veteran in the reggae genre, Ken Boothe, has realized dancehall’s reign on the airwaves and has decided to capitalize on this.On his latest album, Journey, Boothe journey’s into the realm of dancehall. The Everything I Own crooner has not forsaken reggae, however, and believes that reggae will have a bright future as long as reggae artistes try to produce great music. Boothe, who was awarded the Order of Distinction in 2003 for his contribution to Jamaican music, says there are Jamaican musicians who, like himself, are putting out great music that is being well received.The reggae musician has just returned from France where he says his music and reggae music on a whole is embraced and loved. Boothe noted that reggae music is changing but says that he hopes it is for the best.

There are veterans/legends in every field of endeavor and it is no different in music. In most cases, however, the evolution of the music and replenishing of generations usually breeds new stars.Though most will say that these newcomers are not and will never be as good as the originals, they usually become legends in their own right, breaking records and surpassing their predecessors in many respects.So did Bob Marley hit the peak of global reggae achievement or is there uncharted success for reggae musicians that is yet to be discovered?Only time will tell, but there are artistes like Romain Virgo, Jah Cure, damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley, groups like Raging Fyah and No-Maddz who intend on providing an answer.