To The Foundation Riddim – Various Labels

Dennis Brown is the anchor here, and that’s exactly how To The Foundation Riddim should be read: as a deep pull from one of reggae’s most trusted voices, then a wider pass through the roots and conscious side of the late ’70s and early dancehall years. The classic title cut appears in its original 1978 form and again in an early-’80s version, which gives the set a neat bit of historical weight, while Dennis Brown’s pairing with Cocoa Tea keeps the lineage moving forward. Around that, Capleton, Gregory Isaacs, Luciano, Junior Kelly, and Chuck Fenda steer the riddim through militant chant, lover’s rock shading, and straight-up uplift. Augustus “Gussie” Clarke is tied to the original foundation version, and that production touch helps explain why the groove has lasted this long. Brown’s “To The Foundation” remains the centrepiece, and it lands like the tune everything else has to answer to.