Staggerah Riddim – Various Artists

Fadda Fox fronts the Staggerah Riddim with the kind of tight, road-ready soca energy that gives the whole 2011 set its shape, especially on the remix cuts with Skinny Fabulous and Ravi B. Those versions do a lot of the heavy lifting, but the riddim doesn’t lock itself into one mood; Konshens slides in with “Whine It Anywhere, ” while Patch and Super Jigga T. C, Peter Ram, Verseewild and Ziggy Ranking keep the tempo lively and the subject matter firmly in fete territory. What gives the release its edge is that it leans on Fadda Fox’s hook while still leaving room for the rest of the crew to push different angles of the same pulse, from party-starting chant to cheekier, more playful turns. By the time the original “Staggerah” comes back around, it feels like the tune that holds the whole run together.