Trail Blazer Riddim – Focus Music

Sharp pulse. Trail Blazer Riddim has that clean 2014 reggae sheen, with Focus Music lining up seven voices around a straight-to-the-point groove that leaves plenty of room for the singers to do the talking. Anthony B’s “Taking Over” gives it the kind of determined edge the title promises, while Sizzla’s “Miss You Like Crazy” and Lutan Fyah’s “Treat You Right” lean the whole set into conscious lovers territory without softening the cut of the rhythm. There’s a nice pull between the harder step of Hero’s “Gun Thing” and Turbulence’s more open-hearted “Unconditional Love, ” and Nateesha Stream adds a different color in the middle of the sequence. A compact little set, really, with the track order landing exactly where it should.