Jamaica Ja Riddim – Timeless Records

Timeless Records kept this 2005 cut in the straight reggae lane, and the Jamaica Ja Riddim feels like one of those compact sessions where the groove does the heavy lifting and the voices do the colouring. The set runs eight tracks deep, with Dez I’s “Senorita, ” Fearon’s “Black Woman, ” and Frankie Wilmot’s “Weh Yu Gonna Run” giving it that rootsy, street-level pulse, while the King David and Singing Melody combination on “Fren Enemy” adds a sharper melodic edge. Reggie Stepper’s “I Don’t Care” and Shifta’s “Jamaica” keep the energy grounded in the song-first tradition that made these mid-2000s reggae riddims travel so well. But the last word belongs to To-Isis on “Alone, ” a cut that leaves the rhythm’s laid-back pull lingering after the version fades.