Don't Call Me Buckwheat

After almost ten years away from recording, New York's Garland Jeffreys -- best known for his 1977 album Ghost Writer -- has made a remarkable return with Don't Call Me Buckwheat. Jeffreys spent most of the time off coming to terms with his mixed-race background, and this thematically consistent disc could easily serve as a primer on the complexity of race relations in North America. Set mostly to pop-reggae rhythms -- but with hints of Latin, doo-wop and hip-hop as well -- songs like "Welcome to the World," "Color Line," "Racial Repertoire," and "Spanish Blood" bubble engagingly. Overall, Buckwheat offers much food for thought set in a musical recipe that makes the potent message easy to swallow. ~ Roch Parisien