Cricket World Cup Riddim – Various Artists

Beres Hammond and Buju Banton give the Cricket World Cup Riddim its class and gravity on “Pull It Up, ” and that pairing sets the tone for a 2007 compilation that keeps one foot in big-stage anthem territory and the other in straight-up Caribbean celebration. Around them, Assassin’s “West Indies On To Go, ” Elephant Man’s “Wave Your Hand, ” and Wayne Wonder with Buju on “Heal Massa World God” push the set toward the kind of cricket-season singalong energy that was everywhere that year, while Morgan Heritage and Junior Kelly keep the roots side warm. The whole thing ties neatly to the 2007 Cricket World Cup moment, with several artists connected to the opening ceremony era, and it sits comfortably among those event-driven reggae packages that capture a specific season without sounding disposable.