Prince Alla & Junior Ross

prince alla & junior ross

From the same era comes the 2002 Blood & Fire reissue of two of Tappa Zukie’s best productions, Prince Alla’s Heaven Is My Roof and Jr Ross & The Spears’ Babylon Fall, released as a double CD entitled I Can Hear The Children Singing. Each singer’s side is augmented by one track each of absolutely brilliant toasting by Tappa himself. This work is the real deal, a series of hard-driving rasta tunes with superb horns, organ and trombone sax breaks and soulful testifying and harmonies. The fact that it was originally mixed at King Tubby’s Studio by Prince Jammy and KT himself as well as featuring some of JA’s greatest musicians like guitarist Earl Chinna Smith as well as the ubiquitous drum/bass team Sly & Robbie inter al has a lot to do with the work’s success.

Also there seems to be a willingness to let things stretch out effortlessly often giving Children a jazzy ambience. Even the dubs seem to be part of the overall plan, artfully placed more for maximum stimulation rather than being entities unto themselves. I can’t see any lover of JA roots music being less than thrilled with this one. Jan 2003