Labi Siffre steps back into the limelight with new single "Far Away"

There aren't many people alive who can traverse the intersections of art, music, and poetry quite so beautifully as Labi Siffre. His self-titled debut LP, released in 1970, blends the soulful energy of Tyrone Davis with a thoughtful lyricism that could make Keats blush. 56 years later, the singer has returned to bless our telephones once again.

A famously elusive figure, this isn't the first year to see a Siff-reemergence. The singer went into a period of retirement following 1975's Happy, but returned with "(Something Inside) So Strong", a powerful ode to the long-suffering Black children of South Africa. As Apartheid forces - this time in Palestine - fire on children once again, it's apt that the folk stalwart has chosen 2026 to release new material.

"Far Away", released yesterday, is the first taste of fresh music modern audiences will get from the Londoner. Upcoming album Unfinished Business will be his first in almost three decades. If the Single is anything to go by, we're set for another deeply thought-provoking LP.

Asked last year how he would like to be remembered, the artist replied "I am so tired of people 'passing on' (...) I want to be allowed the dignity of having died". This sentiment - beautifully worded as per usual - oozes from "Far Away". It's a mournful track, echoing the loss of Siffre's late husband Rudolf van Baardwijk, but maintains a love that the singer will keep with him for the remainder of his years.

The 21st century has brought Labi Siffre back into public consciousness. If you've watched Better Call Saul, you've heard "I Got The...", if you've seen Sentimental Value, you've listened to "Cannock Chase". His R&B sensibilities have similarly merged well with the explosion of noughties Hip-Hop; Kanye West, Eminem, and Jay-Z have all sampled Siffre.

Among the laziest stereotypes levelled at ageing stars, criticisms of vocal ability take the podium. Try watching a video of Paul McCartney without some reprobate in the comments (who has likely never released 26 studio albums) saying that 'his voice has gone'. Labi Siffre, meanwhile, is now 80, and carries his message with vocals as beautiful as ever. It's a prescient reminder, if any was needed, that a musician's art does not halt at age 50.