Don Riddim – Various Artists

Don Riddim comes out of the Don Corleon camp era, when 2004 dancehall was leaning hard into lean, punchy rhythms and big personalities, and this one lines up three of the scene’s most reliable voices on the same cut. Elephant Man takes charge with “Dancing Time” and “Turn It Up, ” which feels about right for his high-octane style, while Sizzla’s “Eyes On Me” pulls the energy into something a little more urgent and tense. Vybz Kartel gets the darker edge of the session with “Come In The War Come Dead” and “Wha Yu Get, ” a pair that fits his sharp, confrontational phrasing. It’s a short set, but the pairing of Elephant Man’s hype, Sizzla’s fire and Kartel’s bite gives the riddim a clear shape, right down to the hard turn it takes at the end.