Turnpike Riddim – Pure Music Productions

Turnpike rides on a clean, forward-moving one-drop pulse with a little more uplift than bite, and Pure Music Productions uses that shape to thread together a strong 2012 cast. Gappy Ranks opens with the pleading “Lord Have Mercy, ” while Bobby Hustle’s “Jah Watch Over” and Lutan Fyah’s “Don’t Wanna Be” keep the roots conscience firmly in view; Delly Ranx and Jemere Morgan add two of the more memorable cuts on a lineup that also includes Winstrong, Nikesha Lindo and Esco Levi. It feels close in spirit to the kind of steady, singer-heavy work Pure Music had been building around that period, especially the label’s other 2012 riddim outings, but Turnpike leans a touch warmer and more melodic. In the catalogue, it sits neatly beside that run of early-decade Pure Music productions that favored vocal hooks over rough-edged dancehall pressure.