Heart Strings Riddim – Keep Left Records

By 2008, dancehall was still leaning hard into melodic hooks and crossover-ready vocals, and Heart Strings sits right in that pocket with Tami Chynn, Christopher Martin, Busy Signal and Rupee carrying the tune over Keep Left’s production. The riddim is credited to Leftside under the Keep Left banner, which fits the era’s habit of producers stepping out front with their own musical identity. Tami Chynn’s “What Do I Do Now” and Christopher Martin’s “Pretty Lady” bring the sweetest edge, while Chino and Busy Signal keep the energy a little rougher on the other side of the set. There are seven cuts in all, and the sequence closes with Craigleftsideparks’s version, a neat sign that the producer wanted the vocal songs to lead before letting the instrumental speak for itself.