High Fashion Riddim (2002) – Hi Power Music

Al Campbell anchors High Fashion Riddim with the kind of warm, steady voice that can make a lovers tune feel lived-in, and his trio here — “My Whole World, ” “Talk About Love (Remix), ” and “Talk About Love 2002” — gives the set its centre of gravity. Hi Power Music keeps the riddim trim and melodic, letting the songs sit in that late-1990s-to-early-2000s reggae lane where George Nooks’ “Feels So Good” and “Feel So Good (Remix)” can slide in beside Glen Washington’s “Waggonist” without jolting the mood. Roman Stewart’s “Missing You” and Meditations’ “Blank Week” add a little extra depth, but it’s the Al Campbell and George Nooks pairings that make the release feel like a small time capsule from 2002. The versions tag on at the end, almost as an afterthought.