After making his name with The Specials and Fun Boy Three, Terry Hall seems to have disappeared from view in recent years. Now, at last, it seems that the world music genre might just have given him a new lease of life. Linking up with the Asian underground producer Mushtaq, Hall has assembled a line-up of international talent to perform his post-punk compositions, including some Polish gypsies, a blind Algerian rapper, a 12-year-old Lebanese girl and the clarinettist from the Pink Panther theme. If all this sounds a bit too worthy, it should be emphasised that The Hour Of Two Lights is very much a pop album, containing some gorgeous melodies and thoughtful lyrics about the need for cultural empathy. He may still be a miserable old sod - but it's good to have old Tel back all the same.
