Cranberry Riddim – Various Artists

CRANBERRY RIDDIM produced by VARIOUS ARTISTS 2007

This one leans more toward a straight-up dancehall juggling than any sort of polished concept project, and that loose, mixtape-style feel suits the lineup. Elephant Man’s “Tek Time Nuh” has the kind of sly, throwaway swagger that made him such a reliable riddim rider in the mid-2000s, while Spice’s “Good O” pushes the energy a little harder and gives the set one of its sharper female turns. Konshens on “Street Life” and Lexxus on “Mek A Fi Sound” keep the pressure on, with the former sounding rougher and more street-minded than the title suggests. The 12-track cut runs through a solid spread of voices — from Delly Ranx and Tony Curtis to Aisha and Frankie Sly — and by 2007 this kind of multi-artist dancehall package was still very much the way sound system tunes travelled.

Cranberry Riddim Tracklist:

1. Aisha – Love Away
2. Christopher – Party Like Jamaicans
3. Deh Deh – Gang War
4. Delly Ranx – I Am For The Girls
5. Elephant Man – Tek Time Nuh
6. Frankie Sly – Ghetto Youths
7. G-Maffiah – Risen
8. Konshens – Street Life
9. Lexxus – Mek A Fi Sound
10. Peppa – At Home
11. Spice – Good O
12. Tony Curtis – Life