Dont Give Up Riddim – Black Money Records

A warm, rootsy pulse and a stern old-school chant run through Black Money Records’ Don’t Give Up Riddim, which lines up six voices with Mykal Rose and Prezident Brown fronting the strongest cuts. The production keeps the focus on message tunes rather than flashy studio tricks, so songs like Rose’s “Armageddon Time” and Prezident Brown’s “Did You Rise” carry the weight, while Buffalo Bill, Jah Lyfe and Rigid keep the sequence moving with their own takes on perseverance and pressure. It’s a straight six-track set, with Black Money opening things under the title cut before the other singers step in. Released in 2011, the riddim sits squarely in reggae’s conscious corner and keeps the arrangements tight enough for the vocals to do the talking.