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Serious Times Ghetto Arc/XL ****

Reggae is the sound which keeps on giving. As a snapshot of what's making waves on the underground roots scene, Serious Times does its job and then some. Seeing as how reggae has mated with everything from hip-hop to calypso, it's a timely reminder that the sound's spiritual home is still producing killer underground cuts by the score. Rolled into two CDs, one mixed by Federation Sound controller Max Glazer and the other containing full-length tracks, Serious Times has an invigorating freshness and snap. The sinister echoes on Turbulence's Notorious are matched by the MC's menacing chatter, while Richie Spice's Marijuana is one paranoid android of a track. But there's also plenty of mellowness, such as the wonderful Ghetto from Nitty Kutchie and Gyptian's title track calming the senses. Throughout are hints of how reggae players and their systems have tapped into other sounds and styles to ensure their dancehall buzz keeps getting higher and higher. www.xlrecordings.com