If you don’t know who Labi Siffre is, there’s still a decent chance that you’ve heard one of his melodies. He provided the immortal keyboard lick that introduced the world to Slim Shady. Kanye took an introspective ballad from his third album and made it anthemic. He’s been covered by everyone from Madness to Kenny Rogers. Still, these make for only a brief sample of Siffre’s brilliant ear for hooks โ he has a three decade career chock-full of them, going all the way back to his 1970 debut.
In fact, his writing is consistent going back to his 1970 debut. Labi has a wonderful sentimentality and disarming honesty that reminds me of Jim Croce, and an innate sugary sweetness that finds him at his best making liberal use of the kinds of weighty words like “love” that would feel unearned if anyone else indulged at the same rate. It seems that he had already figured out that strength by 1970, so most of his debut is populated with sunny, soulful, lovelorn pop: the kiss-off of “Too Late”, the woo-ing of “You and I Should Be Together”, and my favorite, the earnest “Love Song for Somebody”. Some are a bit under or over-baked (“Make My Day” and “Something on My Mind”, respectively), and there are a few detours into dour character study that don’t quite click (“Maybe Tomorrow” and “I Don’t Know…”), but as a collection of songs, it’s sturdy enough.
The most unfortunate element at play here is Ian Green’s dated, Bacharach-lite arranging. This doesn’t become particularly evident until you reach the reissue’s stripped down, Siffre-arranged bonus tracks and realize how vibrant and fully-formed Labi’s songwriting is when it isn’t boxed in by swelling strings or Broadway-ready horns. These six tracks are sincerely amazing, with shades of Neil Young, Elton John, or Big Star’s balladry, and give a brief glimpse into the timeless folk pop classic that could have been.
On his strengths as a singer/songwriter, let alone as a Black, gay singer/songwriter in the 1970s, Siffre warrants a far greater reputation than he presently has. I’d kill for some re-arranged editions that scrape off the Ian Green orchestral schmaltz to show the vintage reissue crowd just how much his music has to offer. Until then, I guess I’ll just have to keep spreading the word through playlists, recommendations, and gushing RYM reviews. but sadly of the online rare groove and vintage reissue community. I guess nobody prominently sampled anything from this one, but still!
