CD review - Sister Carol, Isis - "The Original Womb-Man"

This is an older album, from 1999, but it regularly comes back up in my rotation. Sister Carol is a Jamaican DJ/singer, with a unique vocal style. Occasionally, she sounds a little bit like Pato Bantan, but her voice and writing style is all her own. This is the reggae version of conscious rap, with a strong feminist focus. Understand, though, that her message emphasizes the positive. So, if this album raises any hackles, it's not Sister Carol pushing the buttons.

Isis - "The Original Womb-Man" leads off with Opportunity, a mash up between Bob Marley's Stir It Up, the Righteous Brothers' You've Lost That Loving Feeling, and Sister Carol's original lyrics. The beat is infectious with spare instrumental parts. The toasting vocal is backed with sweet harmonies. It's a catchy beginning.

A couple of songs later, Sister Carol delivers a clever, erotic sex rap. There's a tight bass and percussion groove with little touches of guitar. It's repetitive, but stays interesting because of how all the little parts fit together. The lyrics are smooth and not obscene:

My gentle lover, me say where have you been
I really love the touch, I really love the feelin'
You have a neat little way towards Afro-mancing
Glad you are my friend, me glad you are my darling

The feminist thread runs strong through the songs, with lots of references to Mother Culture. Womb-Man overtly covers this, but the next song, Rasta Girl, is even better. There's a great little intro chant:

We feminine, we genuine withe same melanin
But we have estrogen from the beginnin'

This toast flows with a tight delivery. The song balances between the toasting verses and a singing rocksteady chorus.

Isis is full of great songs, from the Bob Marley tribute of 70 Sup'm Pieces of Bob to the biblical message of Ezekiel 37. Serious topics like immigration, HIV, and materialism get covered without being too preachy or stiff. There are plenty of surprises that make it worth coming back to this disc. The "high" point has got to be Chok-Lit, which takes the 5th Dimension song, Last Night, I Didn't Get To Sleep At All and runs a new set of lyrics extolling her love of chocolate thai.

Sit out in the sun with some spicy ginger beer and groove to the beat. "Bless and no one can test, Mother Culture is the reigning Empress". Yes, yes, yes...