Encore Riddim (2006) – Water Valley

By 2006, reggae riddims were still thriving on compact, singer-friendly projects like this one, and Water Valley keeps Encore lean and focused with just four cuts. Frankie Paul’s “Lets Go Over To My Place” is the obvious anchor, his voice giving the rhythm a warm, veteran pull, while Leroy Gibbon and Ruddy Thomas each bring a different shade of lovers-rock soul to “Encore” and “Since You Have Been Gone. ” The version first in the sequence sets the tone before the vocals arrive, which feels deliberate, like the producer wanted the instrumental to introduce the groove and let the singers work back over it in turns.