I I know there are those who find roots reggae a little tiresome, seeing it largely as a vehicle for rambling about Rastafarianism while smoking humungous quantities of marijuana. To be fair, there’s a lot of that. And I love it.

Most of it was recorded in the mid-to-late 1970s but conscious reggae is still being made if you can find it.

This is a topical tune harking back to that golden era with a message that’s as fresh as the smell of ganja wafting from my neighbour’s back garden on a summer day.

Released by Manyatta Records in 2021, it came out on 10-inch vinyl, the disc comprising three different vocal versions with three different lyrics – by Linval Thompson (Too Much Pollution), Kamio (Nature) and David Tarrio (Pollution Crimes) – and a dub by Robert Sanchez.

Linval dates back to the mid-1970s himself, when he made his name adding vocals for producers like Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry (Kung Fu Man) and Augustus Pablo (Natty Dread A Pressure Dem), several of them collected on the excellent Blood & Fire compilation Ride On Dreadlocks.

He is best known for the anthems Don’t Cut Off Your Dreadlocks, Cool Down Your Temper and the self-explanatory (but strangely spelt) 1978 tune I Love Mariguana – from the self-titled Trojan album that spawned the exceptional Negrea Love Dub LP.

He has produced roots artists like Dennis Brown, Wailing Souls and Trinity, Eek-A-Mouse, Cornell Campbell and Freddie McGregor, as well as being instrumental in the birth and growth of dancehall, working with the likes of Barrington Levy.

But I like his roots material best, and find this a worthy addition to his catalogue