Controversy Riddim – Various Artists

Controversy Riddim sits in that mid-2000s dancehall pocket where the groove does the talking: stripped, tense, and roomy enough for the vocals to cut through without much ornament. Issued in 2006 and credited here to Various Artists, it runs 11 cuts deep with French-language and Creole-inflected performances from Craig Storm Hits, Crom X, Denise, Jade, Krynn, Milca and Twendy, which gives the project a distinctly Francophone Caribbean feel. The strongest moments come from the contrast between the slick, chant-like delivery on “Let Me See U Chance” and the more reflective turn of Milca’s “Le monde” and “Souvenir. ” Twendy closes it out with “Je Doute, ” and that last track leaves the riddim in a colder, more questioning place than a standard party loop, which suits the name perfectly.