Lamb's Bread International (Blood & Fire, 2000)

Sylford Walker didn't put out a whole lot of material during his abbreviated musical career; in fact, apart from the single "Burn Babylon" (see Trojan Roots Box Set), seemingly most of it is included on Lamb's Bread International.  His tunes, recorded in the late '70s, weren't gathered together on an album until Shanachie's 1989 release Lamb's Bread, which promptly went out of print until 2000, when Lamb's Bread International came out, re-packaging the Walker tunes with 6 tracks by similarly obscure early '80s DJ Welton Irie.  The fact that Blood & Fire felt the need to pad the album with the Irie tunes shows just how little Sylford Walker material there is available.  Irie's old school style is neither terribly unique nor enthralling, but it's good enough on cuts like "Jah Come" and "Lamb's Bread International," largely because of the quality of the original tunes that he versions, "Cleanliness Is Godliness" and "Lambs Bread."  "Cleanliness" in particular is the gem here, its regal horns and righteous lyrics making it a classic in the annals of roots reggae.  This rhythm is so strong, it's used on 4 of the 14 tracks on Lamb's Bread International (tracks 5 through 8).  Apart from "Cleanliness," the other tunes are carried by music that producer Glen Brown had previously used elsewhere -- such as "Chant Down Babylon"/"Ghettoman Corner" utilizing the music from Lloyd Parkes' "Slaving" (see Trojan's Rebel Music compilation) and "Eternal Day" riding Brown's own "Forward the Good" music (the dub version of which is the superb "World Dub: Away With the Bad," available on the Brown/King Tubby compilation Termination Dub).  As such, if you're familiar with much of Brown's other stuff, Lamb's Bread International may sound puzzlingly familiar.  If you're not so familiar, "Cleanliness" is a must-have, and "Give Thanks and Praise to Jah" is likewise excellent, but beyond these (and perhaps the simple, bass-propelled "Lambs Bread"), there isn't a whole lot that will completely bowl you over.