Dance Hall Time – Scar Face Music

Scar Face Music’s Dance Hall Time sits a little deeper in late-’80s dancehall than the average flashy studio showcase, with a tougher, more street-level feel that suits the names on it. Hopeton Junior turns up twice, and “Tribulation Nuh Easy” has the kind of pressure-cooker delivery that locks in beside Linval Thompson’s gruffer “Bumping And Boring, ” while Shelly Thunder and Tristan Palma help keep the set moving with sharper, more playful turns. The riddim itself leans on a lean reggae pulse with enough bass weight to leave room for the vocals, and the whole thing is tied to one of Wilfred Limonious’s classic dancehall covers, which is how the 1986 LP has tended to circulate among collectors. In all, it runs 10 tracks deep with nine artists across the cut.