Tuff Riddim (2005) – Fiwi Music

Fiwi Music’s Tuff Riddim feels a little different from the label’s tougher, more straight-ahead dancehall work, leaning instead into a lighter reggae swing with a curious crossover edge. The set is a small one, only three cuts deep, and that gives it a stripped-back feel rather than the usual crowded juggling. Bryan Art’s “When Your Eyes Speak” and Yogie’s “Loves Gonna Lead The Way” sit around the unexpected Nelly Furtado cut, “Turn Off The Light, ” which was pressed by Fiwi on reggae 7-inch in the early 2000s and is the release’s most eye-catching twist. That sequencing tells you Fiwi were aiming for a compact, collector-minded showcase rather than a long parade of versions, with each track getting room to breathe.