Midnight Rock Riddim – Capri Music

A taut, early-80s steppers groove carries Midnight Rock Riddim, with the kind of stripped, heavy pulse that leaves plenty of room for the vocalists to work the pocket. Capri Music keeps the lineup lean in 1981: Jah Thomas opens with the militant “Feeding Of The 5000, ” Roots Radics lock into “Rock With The Radics, ” and Tristron Palma closes with “Reggae Taking Over, ” which pushes the cut a little more anthem-like than the others. That balance gives the set a nice push and pull between deejay edge and straight roots singing, without overloading the idea. Jah Thomas, who was already deep in the Midnight Rock orbit by this point, anchors the session with the sharpest one, and his cut leaves the strongest imprint of the three.