Substance Riddim – Young Veterans

Young Veterans kept Substance Riddim on the tighter, straight-ahead side of 2009 dancehall, with a clean radio-ready cut sitting next to the rawer version of Gyptian’s “Different Strokes” and a compact eight-track lineup that doesn’t wander too far from the point. Mr. Perfect, Fyakin, Shawn Storm, Maverick and Abby all take their turns over the juggling, but the sequencing keeps bringing the ear back to Gyptian’s double appearance, which gives the set its clearest hook. There’s a bit of devotional pull in Shawn Storm’s “Dear Mama, ” some everyday-life posture in Maverick’s “Days Like This, ” and a sharper edge in Mr. Perfect’s “No Body, ” but the riddim version at the end leaves the production imprint hanging in the air.