Shank I Tun Up Riddim – Fat Eyes Productions

Fat Eyes usually came with polished, roots-minded juggling, but Shank I Tun Up pushes a harder dancehall edge, with a skanking bassline and a tight, brassy snap that keeps the energy up without getting too frantic. The cut list pairs dependable voices like Lutan Fyah, Sizzla, Chuck Fenda and Yami Bolo with sharper, more playful turns from Red Rose and Lukie D, and “Nuh Ramp Wid Mi Food” lands with the kind of impatient yard-man pressure the title promises. It’s the sort of 2012 one-riddim set that lets each singer ride the same groove from a different angle, and the Fat Eyes version at the end pulls it back into the bare rhythm, reminding you how much of the project’s character comes from that clipped, forward-moving instrumental.