Oh Mama Riddim – Zion Productions

Released in 2014 on Zion Productions, Oh Mama Riddim lands in warm modern roots territory rather than hard-edged digital dancehall. The cut has a cheerful, bass-forward pulse, with bubbling organ, crisp keyboard accents and enough room in the mix for each singer to phrase cleanly over the same groove. It is one of those reggae juggling sets that feels lively without rushing itself.

The lineup runs Bad Ras, Gappy Ranks, Jahricio, Khemistry, N. S. , Marlon Asher, Marswell featuring Crypy, Michael Livingston, Mike Joseph, Progress and Ras I Man. The track titles already give the project a family-and-spiritual angle: Lovely Days, Sweet Reggae Music, Word Of Jah, Proud To Be Alive, Chat About Africa, Mama Teachings and Behind The Bars. Bad Ras’ Buss Inna Mi Head and Gappy Ranks’ Lovely Days help frame the riddim with contrasting energies, while Marlon Asher’s Proud To Be Alive brings the kind of rooted, conscious delivery he has long been known for out of Trinidad. Gappy Ranks, the London-born British reggae voice, gives the set extra international pull, and Jahricio’s Costa Rican presence shows how far the riddim scene had already spread across the Caribbean and Latin reggae circuit.

There is also a strong regional feel to the release, with several voices coming from Costa Rica’s scene, which gives Oh Mama Riddim a brighter, more local juggling spirit than a generic roots compilation. The result is a pleasant, melody-rich set that works best when the singers dig into uplift, praise and day-to-day resilience.