Shell Shock Riddim (2012) – Cliff Side Entertainment

Cliff Side Entertainment’s Shell Shock Riddim sits in that 2012 dancehall wave where the riddim title does a lot of the talking: sharp, percussive, a little restless, with eight cuts and a roster that jumps from Powerman’s earnest “Follow Yuh Heart” to the grittier street-talk of Shifty’s “Street Life” and Boom Dekka’s “Man Of Interest. ” The project also gets some color from the pairing of Quain and Mojo Herb on “All These Girls” and the double-up from Timmy T and Dane Ray on “Good Love, ” which helps the set move between lovers rock sentiment and rougher party energy without losing its centre. Ras Markco’s “My Time” closes it out on a more reflective note, and the release lands as a tidy eight-track slice of early-2010s dancehall from Cliff Side Entertainment.