Born For This Riddim – Various Artists

Some of the neatest 2011 soca riddims were the ones that didn’t overcomplicate things, and this Precision Productions cut falls right into that pocket: just two tunes, but both pointed straight at Carnival season. Lyrikal’s “Born For This” has that feel-good, self-assured push you want from a road anthem, while Zan’s “Eyes On You” leans more into the flirtation and keeps the energy moving without crowding the groove. Precision keeps the arrangement tight, which lets the vocals do the work and gives the riddim a clean, party-ready bounce. It also landed in late 2011, and the “Soca 2012 Trinidad and Tobago Carnival” tag makes the timing obvious enough — this was built for the road before the road even opened.