Really excited about the re-release of Sixto Rodriguez's lost classic Cold Fact this month on Light in the Attic.

I have been fascinated by this guy ever since Sugarman blasted out of my speakers on the brilliant David Holmes compilation album Come Get It I Got It.

It was a revelation to me an apparently Hispanic protest folk singer with a funky backing singing about the ups and downs of drug abuse.

"Sugarman, won't you hurry? Because I'm tired of all these scenes.

"For a blue coin, won't you bring all those colours to all my dreams?

"Silver magic ships you carry, jumpers, coke, sweet Mary Jane.

"Sugarman met a false friend on a lonely dusty road.

"Lost my heart, when I found it, it had turned to jet black coal."

Unfortunately the album released in 1969 sank without a trace in America and after one more album Sixto went back to construction work. His folky, funky psychedelic freak out hard hitting socio aware lyrics all but forgotten.

That was except, bizarrely, in Apartheid ridden South Africa where his proto rap escaped the usually draconian censors and became a big hit with South African conscripts in the Army who saw a promised land and their own predicament reflected in his lyrics.

It garned a cult following and is credited with saving more than one South African conscript's troubled soul.

The album was also a big hit in Australia where Sixto was eventually persuaded to tour in the late 90s to a rapturous reception.

Now Light in the Attic are giving the album a sumptous re-release and I for one cannot wait to hear the what the rest of the album is like.

I have posted a link to the Sugarman track below.

http://lightintheattic.net/releases/rodriguez/sugar_man.mp3

For a more comprehensive round-up go here:

http://lightintheattic.net/releases/rodriguez/