Death In The Area Riddim – Solidarity International

A lean, nagging late-’80s roots cut drives Death In The Area Riddim, with a stern bassline and enough space in the rhythm for the singers to lean into the message instead of crowding it. Solidarity International keeps the frame tight here, and the set’s best moments come from the way Devon Russell’s “Jah Children” and Triston Palma’s “Jah On My Mind” sit alongside the sharper chat of Tippa Lee and Rappa Roberts on “Too Bright. ” There’s a familiar tension in the air, the sort of serious, street-level reggae Solidarity was pushing in that period, but the arrangement feels a shade more stripped back than some of the label’s rougher sides. With seven vocal cuts plus version, this one sits neatly in the heavier end of the producer’s 1987 catalogue.