British folk icon Labi Siffre, now 80, has revealed plans for Unfinished Business, his first studio album since 1998. The project, set for release later this year via Demon Music Group, comes with the new single Far Away, a piano ballad previously featured in a BBC documentary. Siffre recently performed the track live on BBC Radio 2, marking a rare public appearance.
Labi Siffre, the influential British folk and soul artist, is ending a 28-year hiatus from full-length albums with Unfinished Business, announced for release later this year through Demon Music Group. This marks his first studio project since The Last Songs and the spoken-word collection Monument, both from 1998.
Accompanying the announcement is the single Far Away, a reflective piano-driven ballad that echoes Siffre's soul-infused songwriting style. The track, which includes an official music video, had earlier appeared in the 2022 BBC documentary Labi Siffre: This Is My Song but was not formally released until now. Siffre also shared a single in 2020 titled (Love Is Love Is Love) Why Isn’t Love Enough?
Siffre rose to prominence in the 1970s with a series of releases, including the acclaimed 1972 album Crying Laughing Loving Lying and the Top 20 hit It Must Be Love. After a prolific run of six albums in five years, he stepped back from recording, resurfacing sporadically in the 1980s and 1990s.
Renewed interest in his catalog has grown recently, aided by sync placements in films such as The Holdovers and Sentimental Value, as well as the launch of official social media channels. His 1975 track I Got The… has been sampled in hip-hop, including Jay-Z’s Streets Is Watching and Eminem’s My Name Is, with additional uses like Kanye West’s I Wonder.
To promote the album, Siffre made a rare live appearance in the BBC Radio 2 Piano Room, performing Far Away, his classic My Song, and a cover of the Four Tops’ Baby I Need Your Loving alongside the BBC Radio Orchestra. His voice remains captivating, carrying the emotional depth of his earlier work.