Clear Water Riddim – 56 Real Productions

Clear Water sits a little cleaner and less cluttered than some of the rougher 2011 one-riddim sets, with 56 Real Productions keeping the focus on a slim seven-track line-up instead of piling on too many voices. Binghi Blaze opens with “New Set A Lion, ” while Wayne Spice gets two cuts, “Can’T Breathe” and “Pop Pop, ” and the Sully/Binghi Blaze pairing on “All I Need Is Life” gives the project its most obvious duet moment. The riddim itself reads like straight-ahead roots reggae: warm bass, clipped guitar skank, and a steady one-drop pulse that leaves plenty of room for the singers. Kerri Kerri’s “Traumatized” and King Zobbie’s “Hold On” sit comfortably in that frame, but it’s the unhurried groove and lean arrangement that hold the set together, with the bass line doing most of the talking.