Wild Out Riddim (2007) – Keep Left Records

Keep Left Records’ 2007 Wild Out Riddim sits in that mid-2000s dancehall pocket where the drums are sharp, the bass is blunt, and the whole thing feels like it’s moving at club speed. This one keeps the spotlight tight with just three cuts, and the draw is really the pairing of Bling Dawg’s rough-edged “Takeaway (Raw)” and Busy Signal’s “My World, ” both of them riding the rhythm with that dry, no-nonsense style the era did so well. Leftside and Elephant Man close it out on “High, ” which gives the project a brash finish and keeps the energy locked in right to the end.