Back to reality

Not wanting to be a man obviously friendly and eminently honorable, the attention paid to Sixto Rodriguez following the documentary that was recently dedicated to him ('Sugar Man', not seen) and the music of this film, "best of" of his only two LPs to date ('Searching For Sugar Man'), probably exceeds the measure of the overall artistic quality of his music.

In his remarkable reissue by the label Light in the Attic, 1st LP 'Cold Fact', with psych-groove attires made by some of its Detroit hitters such as Dennis Coffey (see hit 'Sugarman'), had which appeal to a wider audience than crate-diggers such as David Holmes (the "real" re-discoverer of Rodriguez, in my book, see its compilation of 2002, 'Come Get It, I Got It').

Light In The Attic offers by republishing the second (so far) album, with the same workmanship as for other references of the label: digipack presentation, great libretto (story of the disc, recording words and credits), bonuses tracks. But this disc, recorded in London under the direction of a fan, offers a climate less seductive than 'Cold Fact', alternating "social-themed songs" the sometimes abstruse words and love songs, all with generally arrangements violins a bit Compasses.

'Climb Up On My Music' nicely canned (and humorously) the psych-folk direction of the first LP. 'I Think Of You' is another top of the disk: a rock ballad with guitar in front. But the rest of the disc is mostly uninspiring, with a spoken / sung some systematic ballads on which it generally lacks tempi a "hook" distinctive.

Among the bonus tracks (recorded in Detroit later), 'Street Boy' pleasantly returns to the "groovy" mode with flute and percussion.

With Artichoke Hearts seduced by the concept of artists of the 1960/1970 "neglected but not dead and (recently) found," advise the remarkable 'Life Is People' British Bill Fay.