Mello Shots Riddim – Starr Team

Coming out of the 2019 dancehall crop, Mello Shots Riddim has that lean, street-corner energy that Starr Team liked to keep moving, with the sort of pulse that lets a tune like Gaza Kym’s “Wickedest Whine” cut through straight away. The set runs 11 songs deep and keeps the spotlight on a small circle of voices rather than chasing a massive roll call, so Booba Starr’s “See You Again” and Jack A Diamond’s “Waste Time” end up giving the riddim its shape alongside the harsher “Raw” cuts for Gaza Kym and Kapachie Bell. There’s a little extra lift when Most Mighty steps in on “Herbs and Reggae” with Bono G and Purpl S, which nudges the project toward a more conscious edge for a minute, before it slips back into the dance. A tidy StarrTeam Records release, right down to the duplicates.