Labi Siffre

Chris introduced me to Labi Siffre a few weeks ago by playing one of his earliest LPs that has just been re-released on CD, 'The Singer and the Song'. It's full of short singer-songwriter tunes that struck a chord so I bought 'The Best Of...' when I saw it in HMV a couple of weeks back. Oddly, it was in the soul section and the closest that Labi gets to soul is that he's black. All of his albums have been recently re-released and that's a good thing.

I remember Labi from a few early '70s hits and his appearances on Saturday night prime time variety shows (Chris saw him supporting the Supremes which sounds much cooler). Songs like, 'It must be love', 'Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying' and more latterly, 'Something Inside So Strong'. He's been covered by Madness (their gloriously happy version of 'It must be love') and sampled my Eminem ('I got the' forms the basis for 'Slim Shady'). Strangely, his vocals remind me of Buffy Sainte-Marie in a couple of songs (such as 'Children of Children'). Played late at night, Labi really works for me, gentle but thought-provoking and challenging.

These days, he's more of a poet and social commentator. See Labi's work here. I'd like to see him play live or maybe meet for a cup of tea. I'm sure I'd enjoy a chat but whether I have anything to say to him is another matter.