Evolution Riddim (2011) – Flava Squad Entertainment

Sizzla’s “Cruelty” feels like the sharpest cut on Evolution Riddim, but Flava Squad Entertainment keeps the whole 2011 set moving with a stripped-back, contemporary reggae pulse that leaves plenty of room for voices to breathe. Mad Cobra’s “Secret in the Closet” and Ataru’s “Changes” sit nicely beside Bobby Tenna and Nickeisha Barnes, and the instrumental in the middle lets the rhythm’s lean bass line and clipped drum pattern come into focus before Sizzla closes it out. Released on 11 September 2011 as an eight-track various-artists project, it’s one of those compact riddims that says a lot without lingering too long, right down to the final instrumental tuck at the end.