4. Pressure Busspipe – The Sound
Pressure’s first collaborative album with I-Grade Records (and first of two albums this year— see also September’s Africa Redemption) brought everything we hoped it would: super high-quality modern roots reggae, with fresh sounding live instrumentation and a strong message in the lyrics. The Virgin Islands Tourist board even found something to like as well, with what has become the new VI anthem, “Virgin Islands Nice.” Other standout cuts included “Show Love,” “Run Away,” “Stand Firm,” “Serious About It,” and “The Rain.” It was a big year for I Grade, which also put out the previously acknowledged Midnite albums, Beauty for Ashes and Ride Tru. We were lucky to get a taste of all of this quality music when Pressure and I Grade general Tippy I stopped by our LargeUp Sessions radio show in the spring for a live dub performance. —Kieran Meadows