On their first full-length collaboration, Lee “Scratch” Perry and his long-time touring band Subatomic Sound System revisited 1976’s landmark dub album Super Ape with smashing success. The redux features completely new versions of every song on the original, re-recorded from scratch with a mix of live instrumentation and dub techniques. The motive, Subatomic’s Emch explained to us, “was to adapt a slow hypnotic album to a hype live show while still maintaining the vibes that make the music special.”

Mission accomplished. While much of Perry’s recent work has missed the mark, this inventive redux is as close as we may ever get again to the feel of Perry’s peak period in the 1970s, breathing new life into classic tracks like “Chase the Devil,” originally recorded for Perry by Max Romeo and re-mixed by Perry himself into “Disco Devil” and the dub version “Croaking Lizard.” The new version, featuring dueling vocals from Screechy Dan and Jahdan Blakkamoore, combines aspects of all three, seamlessly. Super Ape Returns is a highly listenable album that doesn’t require any special knowledge or familiarity with the original work. — Jesse Serwer

4. Angela Hunte, R.A.W.

Angela Hunte has many accolades under her belt as a singer and songwriter, but R.A.W., her debut album, represents her biggest step yet. The Trini-American icon, known to legions of Caribbean people for her soca hits, didn’t just dabble in reggae on R.A.W., she let loose on an entire reggae album, and every song is just so good! From the lollipop-infused lead single “Runaway Love” to the touching notes of “In The Morning” and the sound system bang of “Rub Dub” (featuring Taranchyla) there is something for anyone that has ever been touched by the Jamaican music bug on this relatable musical package. —Tishanna Williams

3. Samory-I, Black Gold

Black Gold, the debut album from Jamaican singer Samory-I, is a full-length collaboration with acclaimed selector and producer Rory StoneLove’s Black Dub Music. The pair’s musical relationship began after Samory-I auditioned for Rory performing “Take Me Oh Jah”, which gained him his earliest international exposure when it was released in 2015. The album, which includes no features, is a celebration of blackness, exploring topics including freedom, love and worship. It is the product of years worth of work, and a regime implemented by Rory that not only included daily rehearsals but also jogging. “Rasta Nuh Gangsta”, “Not Because” and “Black Gold” shine through when listening. Black Gold is modern roots reggae in its rawest most undiluted form, and a must listen for purists of the genre. — Gibbo

2. Damian Marley, Stony Hill

Damian Marley did not have to release Stony Hill. He could easily spend his time concentrating on his business ventures, doing guest verses, producing and performing live. But with virtually 12 years elapsed since his last solo album, the now-classic Welcome to Jamrock LP, there were issues Jr. Gong wanted to address.

Issued on his 39th birthday, Marley’s fourth album takes its name from the Kingston community where he grew up. As he has done throughout his career, Jr. Gong challenges injustice in many of the 18 tracks on Stony Hill. This time, though, he does it even more effectively. If you don’t stop and think several times, or even challenge your own views when listening to this album, then you weren’t giving his lyrics the attention they deserve. “Slave Mill,” one of the album’s most thought-provoking tracks, raises issues such as freedom (or lack thereof), and the true value of money and material possessions. “Medication,” one of three songs featuring Damian’s older brother, Stephen Marley, poses questions of a different kind, regarding the irrational treatment of marijuana. In “R.O.A.R.,” Damian issues a reminder about the importance of morals and values. Though he is speaking to the youth of Jamaica here, the message is applicable to inner-city communities around the globe. Love is the topic of choice for several tracks including “Upholstery” featuring Bounty Killer’s son Major Myjah, whilst the upbeat “Living It Up” assures listeners that anything is possible if you believe in your dreams.

Stony Hill provides an in-depth look inside the mind of Damian Marley, something you don’t get from a single or guest verse. His ability to intelligently analyse a wide range of subjects makes him one of reggae’s greatest assets. He would likely never say this, he is too humble, but he doesn’t have to, his music speaks for him. — Gibbo

1. Chronixx, Chronology

In the hours immediately following its release, the impact of Chronixx’s debut album Chronology was already evident, as social media flooded with posts and discussion about the album. Its recent nomination for the Best Reggae Album Grammy speaks to the wide, lasting nature of that impact.

Different aspects of this album resonated with different audiences, from those who value the artist’s thought-out observations on Jamaican society, to the most casual listeners just looking for feelgood music to nod their heads with. “Spanish Town Rockin” and “Big Bad Sound” (featuring the artist’s father Chronicle) provided a fitting opening to the album, as Chronixx paid tribute to his birthplace and earliest musical influence. His call to “forget your troubles and rock with me” on the Bost and Bim-produced “Skankin Sweet” delivered momentary escape for anyone struggling with the hurdles of everyday life, and this same message of positivity is echoed in “I Can.” Previously released favourites “Smile Jamaica,”“Majesty” and “Likes” are included. (The latter, which finds the artist preaching substance over hype, blew up into a dancehall favourite this year). “Selassie Children” and “Black Is Beautiful” are also standout tracks which encourage pride of identity and beliefs.

Chronology builds and expands on the foundations Chronixx laid with his previous releases: His attention to detail, well thought-out approach and use of top-level musicians and engineers. The album is a reflection of Chronixx’s maturation and development as an artist, and as a man. It is his most well-rounded and polished work to date, and has captured the imagination of people inside and outside of the reggae world in a way no other album from the genre has in quite some time. And it was a pleasure to listen to. — Gibbo

HONORABLE HONOREBEL MENTION

11. Lutan Fyah, Music Never Dies

Lutan Fyah, easily one of the most underrated roots and culture singers in Jamaica, connected with powerhouse Virgin Islands label I Grade Records and its in-house production unit Zion I Kings for Music Never Dies, with predictably stellar results. Tracks like “Kick It Inna Africa” and “Too Much Ramshackle” illustrate why both Lutan and Zion I Kings are so highly regarded by their peers, blending clean reggae riddims with informative and impassioned deliberations on identity and poverty. An engaging listen throughout. — Jesse Serwer

12. Donae’O, Sixteen

The fusion of dancehall and Afrobeats is the thing right now, but Donaeo was way ahead of the curve with 2009’s “Party Hard.” Just in time for things like the term “Afro Bashment,” the half-Ghanaian and half Guyanese MC has returned to stake his claim to the throne of this emerging sound. The mixtape slash album Sixteen gathers material going back a few years like “Mami No Like,” an amusing look at relationships, and his latest banger, “Whole Life.” Musically, a wide range of genres are represented here, with dancehall and soca influences only intermittent, but Donaeo’s swag as being

12. El Alfa, Disciplina

Reggaeton returned to the mainstream in a big way this year, led by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee‘s inescapable “Despacito.” The genre’s Dominican counterpart, dembow, however, remains an underground phenomenon, beyond D.R., Washington Heights, and your neighborhood bodega that is. El Alfa El Jefe (El Alfa, for short) is the undispute dking of dembow, a gleeful prankster who propels his voice to absurd, cartoon-like heights. Alfa is the architect of his own sound, literally; his producers use his voice as a melodic element, embedding his cackles and whoops into their rhythms. Disciplina collects his top dembow from the past year, like the Bryant Myers collaboration “El Pegajosa,” as well as his forays into the exploding sound of Trap Latino. You don’t have to know Spanish or drink Brugal to see that El Alfa is a major talent worthy of much wider notoriety. — Jesse Serwer