New English Riddim – Music Signal Records

A taut little dancehall run, New English Riddim comes in lean and direct from Music Signal Records, with only five cuts and no wasted space. Shane O’s “Key Is” leads the charge, while Reless gets into rougher territory on “Hungry Days” and Zamunda brings a sharper edge on “Ungrateful. ” The rhythm itself keeps a stripped-down, no-frills pulse, the kind that leaves room for the voices to do the talking rather than burying them under heavy arrangement. Turbulence’s “One Bobo” adds the most pressure to the set, though, riding the riddim with that stern, clipped authority he’s always had in reserve, and it’s the track that lingers after the instrumental closes things out.