from the LP Red, Mango Records, 1981Much as with any organized religion in the world, Rastafarianism has many differing sects which vary in their levels of fundamentalist rigor, and while the ritual of smoking marijuana is present in all of them, who exactly is allowed to smoke it and with whom is a matter of debate; this mainly centers around gender, with some austere sects believing that women should not smoke altogether, others allowing women to smoke but not in the presence of men, and the more relaxed groups sharing the herbal sacrament as one group. Michael Rose’s song here takes a somewhat ambivalent attitude towards the issue, seeming to support the woman’s right to assert herself, but admitting that he’s turned off by the kind of woman who has something to prove. Now a well-known voice in reggae, this was only Rose’s second album with the group, and his youthful passion shines through loud and clear!
