Craven Dog Riddim – Stringray Records

By 2004, Stingray Records had already settled into the kind of UK-rooted roots catalogue that could carry a whole set of singers on one sturdy foundation, and Craven Dog Riddim sits neatly in that run. The lineup is compact but sharp: George Nooks, Glen Washington, Gregory Isaacs, Michael Rose, Prince Malachi and Tenor Star all get a turn, with Isaacs’ “Best Dressed Lady” and Michael Rose’s “Break The Chain” giving the set its most familiar names. The riddim itself keeps to a lean, rootsy shuffle, with a warm bass line, clipped drum pattern and enough space for each vocal to ride the groove without crowding it. It’s the sort of mid-tempo cut that leans more on patience than flash, and the version track leaves the rhythm bare enough to hear the weight of the bass and the snap of the skank.