Count The Tears Riddim – Various Artists

With just four cuts, Count The Tears Riddim keeps the focus on the songs themselves, and Anthony B’s “Baby Father” is the one that most immediately pulls the ear, riding alongside Cutty Corn’s “I Love Her, ” Ras Fraser Jr. ’s “Cant Let U Go, ” and Torch’s “Dry Your Tears” on a 2008 one-riddim set credited to various artists. The selections lean into the emotional side of reggae, with the title alone hinting at heartbreak and repair, while Anthony B brings his usual steady, streetwise phrasing to the forefront and the other voices keep the mood rooted in clean, melodic roots-reggae styling rather than anything too flashy. It’s a compact release, just four tracks in all, and that brevity gives it a neat, focused shape from first tune to last.