The Zions King Riddim – Sevad Music House Records

A warm, rootsy swing runs through The Zion’s King Riddim, with Lenn Hammond’s “Till I See U Again” and Christopher Martin’s “Love Is” leaning into the kind of melodic, devotional reggae Sevad Music House Records seems to favor here. Ginjah, Jah Mason and Teflon keep the message firm and streetwise, while Sevad’s own “Keep You Strong” sits right in the middle of the set, which gives the project a personal touch and ties the vocal cuts together with a steady, laid-back pulse. It’s a compact six-song vocal run plus the version, keeping the focus on one instrumental and the different shades it can carry, from love talk to uplift and ghetto-conscious reasoning.