Various – Gratitude Riddim EP

Phillip ‘Winta’ James, the Jamaican pianist, keyboard player, and GRAMMY-nominated producer, has worked with some of the biggest names in reggae music such as Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley, Protoje, Tarrus Riley, Chronixx, Bushman, and Morgan Heritage to name a few. Now, Winta James and his Overstand Entertainment label that gave us projects like Rootsman Riddim, Militancy Riddim, and Mile High Riddim, return with a brand new juggling called Gratitude Riddim EP.

The Gratitude Riddim EP gets started with Jaz Elise’s delightful titular track, an ode to remaining grateful in the face of trials, when giving up feels like the best option. Actually, the direction for this project was set by Jaz Elise’s version as the project began in the
early stages of the pandemic. Over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project got delayed as social distancing and other measures were put in place. However, recording other songs on the riddim became possible again in 2021 and eventually led to voicing five more tracks.

After the previously released single by Jaz Elise, the contemporary reggae one drop riddim – featuring traditional drum and bass from the legendary duo, Chris Meredith and Wilburn ‘Squidly’ Cole – drops cuts from Samory I, Mortimer, Kumar, Naomi Cowan, and Ras-I. The songs they have recorded find the artists in a reflective mood with their lyrics centering around themes of gratefulness, love, faith, and self-awareness. Of course, Each tune has its own merit, but it are in particular Samory I’s Love And Mercy and Kumar’s When The Smoke Clears that stand out, although the other tracks aren’t far behind.