The Hour of Two Lights
| The Hour of Two Lights | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Terry Hall and Mushtaq | ||||
| Released | 12 August 2003 | |||
| Genre | Electronic | |||
| Length | 57:13 | |||
| Label | Honest Jon's, EMI (Europe), Astralwerks (US) | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Terry Hall chronology | ||||
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| Mushtaq chronology | ||||
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The Hour of Two Lights is a one-off collaborative album between British solo-artist Terry Hall, formerly of the 2 Tone and ska revival band the Specials, and Mushtaq, a member of British-based multi-ethnic hip-hop–ethno-techno–world fusion music group Fun-Da-Mental.
Composition and release[edit]
The album was written and produced by the duo, with the exception of "Ten Eleven" which was written with Oujdi and Hall's regular collaborator and label-boss of Honest Jon's, Damon Albarn. Receiving good reviews, the album was released on CD and double-LP by Albarn's Honest Jon's label in Europe (distributed by EMI) and the US (distributed by Astralwerks) in August 2003.[1]
It was Hall's last release of new material, after which he rejoined the Specials as a regular member for live performances, until the release of the Specials' album Encore in 2019.
Critical response[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| BBC Music | (Positive) |
| The Guardian | |
| PopMatters | (Positive) |
| Uncut | |
Robin Denselow of The Guardian rated it 4/5 and said of The Hour of Two Lights, "Two of the pioneers of multicultural British pop are back with a daring, thoughtful set..."[2] Ollie Davies of BBC Music said, "It's a political and musical recording of racial minorities and cultures by two of today's pioneers of modern popular music."[3] Sean Westergaard of AllMusic rated One and One Is One 3/5 and thought "Terry Hall took quite a chance on this one, doing something unlike anything in his catalog and pulling it off without a hitch. Well done."[4]
Jeff Brown of CMJ New Music Monthly called it "...a fantastic mélange of East and West, traditional and modernmusic."[5] Uncut rated it 4/5 and called it "...a fantastic record of banging global grooves..."[6] PopMatters of Will Harris thought "The Hour of Two Lights can expand one's musical horizons considerably."[1]
Track listing[edit]
All lyrics are written by Terry Hall and Mushtaq except where indicated; all music is composed by Terry Hall and Mushtaq except where indicated
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Grow" | 5:53 | |
| 2. | "A Gathering Storm" | 5:05 | |
| 3. | "Ten Eleven" | Damon Albarn, Mushtaq, Oujdi, Hall | 4:59 |
| 4. | "Sticks and Stones" | 4:13 | |
| 5. | "The Silent Wail" | 7:08 | |
| 6. | "A Tale of Woe" | 4:22 | |
| 7. | "The Hour of Two Lights" | 5:55 | |
| 8. | "This and That" | 4:34 | |
| 9. | "They Gotta Quit Kicking My Dog Around" | 5:06 | |
| 10. | "Stand Together" | 4:46 | |
| 11. | "Epilogue" | 5:10 |
Personnel[edit]
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References[edit]
- ^ a b Harris, Will (8 January 2004). "Terry Hall & Mushtaq: The Hour of Two Lights". PopMatters. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ Denselow, Robin (18 July 2003). "Terry Hall and Mushtaq: The Hour of Two Lights". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ Davies, Ollie (21 July 2003). "Terry Hall and Mushtaq The Hour Of Two Lights Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ Westergaard, Sean. "AllMusic Review by Sean Westergaard". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ Brown, Jeff (September 2003). "Terry Hall & Mushtaq". CMJ New Music Monthly. p. 50.
- ^ "Terry Hall & Mushtaq – The Hour Of Two Lights". Uncut. 1 September 2003. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
