Simplicity Riddim (2017) – Soundbank Music | Nuh Linga Sweden

2017 was a strong year for streamlined dancehall riddims, and Simplicity sits right in that pocket with a clean, forward-moving cut that gives Tarrus Riley’s “Simple” and Dexta Daps’ “Star” room to breathe while still carrying the kind of melodic pull that kept these projects circulating well beyond Sweden. Soundbank Music and Nuh Linga Sweden line up a useful spread of voices here — Gyptian, Jah Vinci, Voice Mail, Laden and G Whizz among them — and the strongest moments come when the singing leans into the riddim’s bare, uncluttered groove rather than crowding it. Jah Vinci turns up twice, with “Fallen Soldier” and “Pussy Tight, ” and the project closes out in the usual dancehall fashion with the version cut, making it a 12-track set that runs just over 40 minutes.