Dont Wait Around Riddim – Studio One Records

Studio One’s 1968 Dont Wait Around Riddim sits in that lean, early reggae pocket where the groove does most of the talking: warm bass, clipped guitar, and a shuffle that feels halfway between ska’s spring and rocksteady’s calmer swing. Only three cuts ride the rhythm here, but that keeps the focus sharp, with Al Campbell’s “Crusing” leaning easy and melodic, Albert Tomlinson taking the title tune straight down the middle, and Glen Washington’s “Sweet Little Woman” adding a sweeter, more vocal-heavy touch. It’s the kind of Studio One work that shows why Coxsone Dodd’s operation mattered so much in the late ’60s, when riddims were being tightened up and the vocalists were learning to stretch out over them without crowding the pocket.