Front Yard Riddim – Kirkledove Records

Kirkledove Records keeps Front Yard Riddim lean and to the point, with just five cuts in 2011 and no wasted space in the lineup. The set leans firmly into straight dancehall, but the voices give it a little range: Baby Tash comes in sharp on “Handle This, ” Konshens brings that early-2010s swagger to “Mawning A Come (Clean), ” and Timeka Marshall’s “Deadly Whine” adds the kind of female energy that keeps a juggling moving. Busy Signal’s “Roll Dat Again” is the tune that gives the riddim its most obvious pull, riding the pattern with enough bite to make the whole package feel bigger than its track count. Kirkledove even takes a slot of its own on “Real Buddy, ” which gives the project a producer-driven edge and a little extra personality.