WordPress bug with capabilities?

Activate the plugin again, reset your caps to default. I guess the problem is the plugin – not wp. Maybe it misses to add some capability.

Best would be to try to take a look at the capabilites that are assigned to the different roles.

How-to inspect current user data the smart way

Create an account for both roles (admin and contributer) and then var_dump their capabilites with something like my old Current User Deamon Plugin. Just take a look at the capabilites, diff them and then add everything that’s needed per hand.