Although 2012’s Crying to the Nation is Byiome Muir’s first official full-length release, he’s been a regular on the Kingston dancehall scene for some time. In the early ‘00s he cut a series of rugged sides for Germaine Davis’ renowned Penthouse imprint under the name Richie Rich. But by the middle of the decade he had changed his persona, incorporating more roots and R&B influences into his previously hardcore delivery and changing his name to I-Octane. As I-Octane, Muir has cultivated a mellifluous “singjay” style, fluidly shifting between staccato raps and raggedly sincere singing in a time-tested fashion favored by Jamaican DJs since the early ‘80s. The 16 tracks on Crying to the Nation are divided roughly evenly between heartfelt contemporary roots reggae, straight-ahead dancehall, and slick, R&B-inflected ballads like “Once More” and “L.O.V.E.Y.O.U.” Crying to the Nation’s production duties are shouldered by a host of marquee names, including Robert Livingston, Paul “Cashflow” Mitchell, and Shane “Jukeboxx” Brown.