First Klass Riddim – Cornerstone Music

A tough, straight-ahead dancehall cut runs through First Klass Riddim, with enough room for the singers to lean into both grit and melody without the production losing its edge. Cornerstone Music keeps the tracklist tight at seven songs, and the mix moves from Spanner Banner’s reflective Moving On to Snatcha’s hustler talk on Price To Make It and Richie Spice’s topical 2012, which gives the riddim its most memorable jab of urgency. There’s some lighter footing too, especially Shava’s Dance The Night Away and Iyah Shines’ Live Good, but the project keeps circling back to voices with a grounded, streetwise tone. Richie Spice ends up leaving the strongest mark here, his cut sounding like the one that cuts deepest into the riddim’s snap and pulse.