Diamond Stone Riddim – Very Huge Records

Diamond Stone Riddim has that upfront, no-frills 2011 reggae feel: eight cuts, eight voices, and not a wasted corner. Very Huge Records keeps the rhythms clean and sturdy, letting the hooks do the talking, while G Whizz’s “Diamond Store” and Kibaki’s “My Time” sit right in the pocket with the kind of plainspoken lift this set needs. Boom Roots opens things with “Jah By We Side, ” and Tiana’s “My Story” adds a softer, more personal edge against the more forward-leaning songs. It’s the sort of compilation that feels like it was cut with local dance spaces in mind, steady and unflashy, and even the closer, Trapykal’s “Party Hard, ” lands like an afterthought that still knows how to move a crowd.

Diamond Stone Riddim Tracklist:

1. Boom Roots – Jah By We Side
2. G Whizz – Diamond Store
3. Iq – Hard Time
4. Kibaki – My Time
5. Kristopher – Pray For Them
6. Mitch – Since You Gone
7. Tiana – My Story
8. Trapykal – Party Hard