Straight Jeans Riddim – Various Artists

Clean-cut swing. Straight Jeans Riddim keeps its focus tight, lining up six cuts around a fashion-conscious reggae groove that feels more slick than heavy, with the title alone telling you the lane it’s aiming for. Exco Levi opens with “If Yuh Think Yuh Bad, ” bringing some attitude to the set, while Faze’s “Brace” and Fyah Lion’s “Bazzle” keep the energy moving without crowding the rhythm. The one real curveball is Firekid Steenie and Five Star’s “Style, ” which leans into the look-at-me theme at the heart of the project. Eyesus gets the clearest spotlight here with “Straight Jeans and Clarkes, ” a tune that lands right on the riddim’s image-conscious pulse and leaves the sharpest impression before J Logix closes out with “Sick A Dat. ”