Dutty Wine Riddim – Various Artists

Two cuts and two names are all this one needs, and that stripped-down setup gives the Dutty Wine Riddim its own little snapshot of 2006 dancehall: Daddy Merry and Merital both take the same cheeky title and run with the era’s obsession with dancer-ready “wine” songs, while the production keeps the focus on the pull of the rhythm rather than any heavy sonic dressing. Merital are a useful name to have here too, since the Montego Bay crew were already tied to dance and street-popular energy before they broke wider a few years later. With no big guest pile-on to distract from it, the release stays tight at just two tracks, Daddy Merry – Dutty Wine and Merital – Dutty Wine.