4. Mavado – “Soldier”
Right from jump “Soldier” doesn’t sound like your typical Gully Gawd tune, but Mavado really fits well on this, delivering a perfectly executed, heartfelt tribute to the late producer Patrick “Roach” Samuels. Coming a year after the equally surprising “Cyaa Hold We Again,” we hope to hear Mavado over more heartical riddims like this one soon. He did say he would do a full one drop album so, if this is any indication of how it’ll sound, we hope 2014 sees that promise through. —DJ Gravy