Powerhouse Presents: Final Mission

Al Campbell’s “One A Way Soldier” is the first cut that grabs you here, and it’s a smart way into Powerhouse Presents: Final Mission, a 1986 set that lines up some of the era’s sharpest voices over a tough late-dancehall foundation. Half Pint, Junior Delgado, Little John, Super Cat and Yellowman all get their turn, but the real charge comes from how the voices move against the rhythm rather than from any one flashy hook. There’s a leaner, rougher feel than the more polished Powerhouse work that came before it, with Sly and Robbie’s title cut anchoring the set like a late-night dubplate statement. With 10 tracks and 11 artists in the mix, this sits right in the label’s mid-80s wheelhouse: streetwise, heavy on personality, and built for sound system play.