Riddim Driven: Time Travel (VP, 2003)

If you can't get enough one-rhythm albums through the Greensleeves Rhythm Album series, VP has its own rival offering, Riddim Driven.  I have mixed emotions about this trend.  While I appreciate the fact that these series make it much easier to identify (and for some people, avoid) such repetitive albums, I'm a bit concerned that when you start a series like these, you tend to become overly eager to find the new hit sound, thus potentially leading to a glut in the marketplace of "throw it against the wall and see if it sticks" riddim albums that should never have existed.  Contrary to what some labels seem to believe, not just any rhythm can support an entire album.  However, in the right hands, a rhythm can prove viable and long-lasting.  Take Time Travel, for instance.  This rhythm won't necessarily bowl you over initially -- it's fairly understated and mellow for a dancehall beat (with synth strings for a disco feel) -- but on this edition of Riddim Driven, it shines.  This album succeeds moreso than many one-rhythm albums for a few reasons: 1) It only has 11 tracks.  Self-restraint is a virtue; other such albums should take note.  2) Producer Steven "Lenky" Marsden, the mastermind behind the popular Diwali riddim, does a commendable job of altering the sound of the music from track to track -- adding digital effects, extra drums or bass, keyboards or strings -- so that the listener never gets bored.  Unlike some other single-rhythm sets, you don't feel like the music is just looping endlessly as artist after artist steps to the microphone.  3) The performers top off the disco/R&B-edged beat with strong vocal showing.  Veteran DJs Bounty Killer, Degree, and Elephant Man appear as sharp as ever and never seem bored (even though it seems in-demand DJs must cut hundreds of songs a year with the hectic pace at which dancehall compilations are released), while newcomers Zumjay, Assassin, Bling Dawg (who, on "Head Up High," might be the only person in history to rhyme "God is great" with "player hate"), and Wayne Marshall serve notice of their arrivals.  Nothing classic, but great fun, even if you don't like one-riddim albums.