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\n\tTo paraphrase a certain pioneering rock band, there\u2019s been a whole lotta Labi in the culture over the last few years.<\/p>\n
\n\tLong a cult figure best known for cover versions of his songs by the way-different likes of Kenny Rogers and Madness, Labi Siffre<\/a> has lately undergone a Nick Drake-like moment. Two years ago, the British-born singer-songwriter\u2019s Seventies ballad \u201cCrying Laughing Loving Lying\u201d was prominently heard on the soundtrack of The Holdovers<\/em>, the Oscar-nominated Alexander Payne film that helped introduce Siffre\u2019s songs to a new generation. To catch up the general populace on what else he\u2019s done over the decades, a new Siffre compilation will be released next month.<\/p>\n \n\tSpanning his sporadic 50-plus years of music-making, The Best of Labi Siffre<\/em>, out Sept. 26, launches with \u201cBless the Telephone.\u201d First released in 1971, back when yapping on land-line phones was the preferred method of communication, the song was recently featured in HBO\u2019s Hacks<\/em> \u2014 another instance of Siffre\u2019s music being discovered by way of a buzzy pop-culture moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n