Sugar Loaf Riddim – Buzwakk Records

Bucky Jo’s “Love Was Meant To Be” feels like the natural doorway into Sugar Loaf Riddim, with his voice riding the kind of earnest, mid-tempo reggae pattern Buzwakk Records liked to keep warm and uncluttered here. From there, Patrick Williams and Veron Maytone keep the session moving in a straight-ahead roots direction, while Bunny Lye Lye’s “Am Here Am Here” adds a firmer, more declarative edge to the juggling. Buzwakk doesn’t crowd the rhythm with extras; the production leaves enough space for each singer to settle into the groove, which is part of the charm across the five-cut set. Selvie Wonder’s “Me And My People” gives the riddim a firmer communal pull, and even with just five tracks, the release has that easy, hand-to-hand feel that made a lot of smaller 2016 reggae juggling cuts stick.