Various Artists Riddim Driven: Check It Back

• Words: Rob Geary
• Label: VP

Ricky "Mad Man" Myrie takes a successful stab at a rave-style riddim with Check It Back. He starts with sweet synthesizer chords, high-pitched tinklings and beguiling fake string swoops, then cuts in a strong, catchy bassline and funny, cartoon-like bubble noises. Where Lenky Marsden would have taken this rhythm into darker dub terrain (see Time Travel), Myrie keeps it major key and sunny so the rhythm lends itself equally well to love chat or battle talk. The lineup of vocalists is stellar, with Bounty Killer's take (the title track) turning it into an addictive, swinging sing-along.