Heart and Soul Riddim (2015) – One Love Music

Heart and Soul Riddim arrived in 2015 from One Love Music as a small but sturdy roots set, and the cast tells you a lot about the intention behind it. Bunny Lye Lye opens with the title cut, Leroy Gibbons brings “Four Seasons Lover, ” Michael Prophet handles “Hold On To Jah, ” and Bucky Jo closes with “Real Vibes. ” It’s the kind of juggling that feels more like a selector’s crate than a blockbuster compilation: four voices, each pulling a different shade from the same groove.

One Love Music links the riddim with Stingray Studios, which fits the polished but unforced sound here. The rhythm has that easy, rootsy sway, with enough space for the singers to stretch out without crowding the pocket. Bunny Lye Lye’s cut carries the romantic, soulful side of the project, while Leroy Gibbons and Michael Prophet give it the veteran weight that keeps the set grounded in classic reggae memory. Michael Prophet’s presence matters especially, because his name still carries the authority of a singer who helped define roots reggae’s expressive side.

What makes Heart and Soul Riddim work is the balance between familiarity and restraint. The groove doesn’t chase flash; it leaves room for melody, meditation, and the sort of clean phrasing that suits the topic titles. Bucky Jo’s “Real Vibes” adds a younger, contemporary counterpoint, but the emotional center is really the pairing of Bunny Lye Lye and Michael Prophet, two cuts that give the riddim its memory and its heart.