It's not very often you hear a song on Hot 97 without a kick drum (for good reason), but Gyptian and Nicki have been getting a decent amount of play both on the radio and here at YMD headquarters. Entrancing summer jam, though I think it could be a decent sweaty dancefloor break too.
92. Wayne Wonder - "No Letting Go" (Atlantic Records, 2003)
I slept on this song when it was first out, and I'm not quite sure why. I wasn't super into dancehall at the time, but I was enough of an active dilettante to be totally down with the other pop-dancehall that was big at the time, a little Sean Paul, a little Beanie Man, but with this Wayne Wonder, I was aware of it, but never made the time/space.
Anyways, a few years later I heard it on the radio and was totally floored by it. It uses the Diwali's handclaps to accent this incredibly mournful sounding chord progression and melody and now when I listen to it it gets me every time.
303. Tanya Stephens - "Need You Tonight" (Germaican Records, 2002) 302. Ce'Cile - "Rude Bwoy Thug Life" (Germaican Records, 2002) 301. TOK - "Shining Star" (Germaican Records, 2002)
Now, surely, our scientific analysis placed these three cuts so close on the list because they happen to share the same riddim. That would be the Cure Riddim, created by a German producer Tom, and you might notice that it is based on the Cure's "Close to Me," my favorite song by that band. Tanya Stephens' song is about effectively cheating and, much like the single version of "Close to Me," throws some horns into the mix and Ce'Cile has a killer "uh oh uh oh" hook in the chorus, but TOK steal it for me by jacking the chorus of the Manhattans' "Shining Star." All great summer joints for sure tho.
