Rodriguez - Cold Fact

I love buying vinyl, only it can get pretty expensive, and unlike it's digital counterpart there's more of an all-or-nothing threshold to cross: Should I fork out almost twenty bucks for this whole album, or would it be more prudent to just buy or pirate the mp3s? Usually, I won't buy a record unless it's one I know front to back and never really tire of. But what's musical discovery without a little risk? Insular and no fun---so sometimes exceptions have to be made.

A great example of one of these whims paying off is the Rodriguez's Cold Fact LP I blindly purchased last Sunday. Originally released to meager success in 1973, this overlooked and largely forgotten gem of soulful, sometimes psychedelic, singer/songwriter tunes was just re-issued by Light In The Attic. Rodriguez's voice is magnetic in the same way that Dylan's or Albert Bell's is, and his gritty, poetic songs about the everyday struggles of Detroit street life are just as appealing with their timeless feel. Check out "Inner City Blues" below.

The fact that this record somehow managed to remain neglected for so long makes me wonder about what other potential classics are out there gathering dust in dereliction.