Review | Sizzla – Black Woman And Child

Miguel Orlando Collins, aka Sizzla Kalonji of course, as he can be heard referring to himself many times here, is certainly a prolific reggae master. Do note though that this is one of reggae’s classic albums, originally issued hot on the heels of Praise Ye Jah, which was causing a real stir back in 1997. On Black Woman And Child, Sizzla was very much on fire with his militant Bobo dread style – others popular at the time included Capleton (who can also be heard here on Babylon A Use Dem Brain), and Anthony B., so he was in good company.

For this Bobby Digital produced set he was backed by rhythms that ranged from the minimalist digital drum sound of the time (try Time To Gaze) to rather more traditional reggae material, with many of the leading players of the time contributing – Dean Fraser, Danny Browne, Sly & Robbie, Jazwad and Bongo Herman among them. Coxsone Dodd also cops some of the composer credits here, as several tracks draw on his riddims – take a listen to One Away over the Satta Massagana backing. A track like Oh What A Joy has an almost straight-ahead roots approach (I did say “almost”) and Edi Fitzroy’s Princess Black gets a fine Sizzla and Edi reworking.

This release is a remastered version of the original set, and closes out with three extended remixes. There is also the Morgan Heritage Remix of Give Them The Ride, which, with its mellow hip hop style, contrasts strongly with much of the other material. Sizzla has released many, many albums since this, and he is always worth listening to. But this still stands tall in his discography and it is good to see and hear this new reissue.

Please note: You get 12 songs on the LP, but the Digital version has some extra tracks – 18 in total.