On splitting from The Specials he formed the pap-pop group the Fun Boy Three. Two years later he formed Colourfield and in 1992 he formed Vegas with studio-maverick and ex-Eurythmic, Dave Stewart.
For his latest solo effort since 1997's Laugh, Hall has teamed up with an odd assortment of musicians to produce a highly pleasing cross-cultural hodgepodge of an album entitled The Hour of Two Lights.
Along with Mushtaq, formerly of the UK Asian/Afro-Caribbean combo, Fun-Da-Mental, Hall joins forces with a 12-year-old Lebanese girl, a blind Algerian rapper, a Syrian flautist, a bunch of Hebrew vocalists, a group of Polish Gypsies, a scratch DJ and Blur's Damon Albarn.
While it may all sound like some world music nightmare, Hall and Mushtaq's studio smarts have managed to create a true musical hybrid of an album on which the eclectic collision of hip hop, Middle Eastern/South Asian and Gypsy influences prove surprisingly pleasing.
Two years in the making, The Hour of Two Lights with its multicultural hooks, beats and lilting melodies will appeal to both world music fans as well as those looking for something musically off-center yet at the same time accessible.
Wonfu (
Same Name, Same Sex
Wondermusic
Released late last month by Wonder Music, Same Name, Same Sex
Formed in late 1998 and named after an obese dog, the combo are now a staple at local rock festivals and on stage at many of the nation's indie rock-orientated venues.
Making its vinyl debut on TCM's (
Unlike Wonfu's previous recordings, Same Name, Same Sex sees the band veering away from plain old guitar rock and toying, successfully, with numerous musical variations such as a brass section, some nifty faux-California sounds and even jazz.
The musical styles may change, but Wonfu's tongue-in-cheek Splodgenessabounds-like comedic musical outlook remains, thankfully, firmly intact.
While not all of the album's 13 tunes are flawless, Same Name, Same Sex's highlights include What Are You Looking At? (
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