Outta Sync

‘A soundtrack to my mind, with some wicked bass lines,’ is how Don Letts describes his debut album, recorded at the age of 67. And it’s as impressively original as you’d expect from a man who has played an intriguing role in the British music scene since the 70s, while constantly giving himself new challenges. A Londoner, the son of Jamaican immigrants, he was the bridge between reggae and punk, dressing punks in a Kings Road clothes shop, then turning them on to reggae as a DJ. As he explains in Outta Sync’s title-track ‘I’m the vinyl generation and that’s how I got my start, combining clothes and music ’n turning it into art.’ He’s also celebrated as a video and film-maker, and formed Big Audio Dynamite with Mick Jones. All those elements are reflected here, in a set that mixes tuneful pop influences with reggae and dub, with original, personal lyrics and easy-going vocals. It’s an upbeat set, with impressive, varying songs from the cheerful ‘Yes’ to the stomping ‘Situationist (feat Zoe Devlin Love)’, sitar playing alongside the reggae rhythm on ‘Civilisation (feat Honor Letts)’ and Wayne Coyne (from American psychedelic rockers The Flaming Lips) appearing on ‘Present Dilemmas’.