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I met Robbie Fulks as a result of my music journalism.
In Pittsburgh had published an article of mine about the growing influence of Country music on the stuff I was listening to at the time. Robbie’s uncle, who lives in the Pittsburgh area, saw the article and wrote to the paper to let me know about his nephew’s music. Robbie sent me a tape and after listening to it we talked on the phone. I met him not long after. Since then I have seen Robbie perform a number of times, probably more than any other single artist. He’s always a lot of fun to be around. Robbie is a gifted songwriter and musician, and is always backed by a band of incredible talent. Drummer Dan Massey, bassist Lorne Rall, and guitarists Tuey Connell and Grant Tye are always a joy to watch and listen to.
The following articles all appeared in the pages of In Pittsburgh over the years. —Wayne Wise, March 2003 For more information go to www.robbiefulks.com |
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A woman stands on the sepia-toned front porch of a dilapidated shack being accosted by a man with an ax. It's the perfect cover to an album entitled
Country Love Songs. Robbie Fulks is one of the premier performers of what some are calling Alternative Country. Ironically, his music hearkens back to a more traditional country sound than anything currently coming out of the tightly-controlled Nashville scene. His songwriting and production aesthetic owes more to George Jones and Buck Owens than any of their modern counterparts. It's a renewal of the old Bakersfield sound, tinged with the postmodern sensibilities of the '90s. Fulks has spent years making the rounds in Nashville, working for EMI as a songwriter, and participating in various songwriting circles. His head kept slamming against the same wall. Nashville, more than anywhere else in the music industry, has an iron grip on what is defined as country music. Fulks' style doesn't fit the current trends. He says there are certain themes, such as sexuality and violence (staples of old Country music), which are taboo. Many of his songs conflict with what he calls "the prevailing ideology of fatuous feelgoodism" which rules Nashville.
Fulks, in spite of his influences, has found his own voice. Tired of the Nashville runaround, he decided to record his own songs. Produced by alternative music guru Steve Albini, Country Love Songs is full of tunes that would have become classics had they been released thirty years ago (though people then wouldn't have understood much of the modern humor). From the outrageousness of "The Scrapple Song" and "Let's Live Together" to the dark and frightening "Barely Human," this album covers a wide range of emotion and subjects, all handled deftly with insight and astute turns of phrase. On the opening track, Fulks tells the story of a girlfriend who loves "Every Kind Of Music But Country." By the end of the song she doesn't remember feeling that way. I think that would be the reaction of most people who hear this album.
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*** Ironic then that
Let’s Kill Saturday Night, his major label debut, is the least Country-sounding
a What remains most consistent though is the brilliance of Fulks' song writing. He spins tales that touch on myriad aspects of life through vibrant imagery, a piercing observation of human nature, and wry wit. It is the latter that keeps him controversial. Fulks has been criticized for undermining the seriousness of his own work by throwing humorous asides into his most moving songs, and for reminding us of the more cynical aspects of any situation. On the new album, Fulks presents his take on the traditional Country Gospel tune in a beautiful and poignant song entitled "God Isn’t Real," guaranteed to cause discomfort in the vast majority of the Country Music fan base. Fulks is something of a trickster in his constant attempts to go against expectations. When confronted with the Nashville power structure he went around it. When dubbed the “next big thing” in
No Depression magazine, he went another direction. Fulks refuses to be pigeonholed by labels or images. The move to a larger label may expose him to a much wider audience (there’s already a full page spread on him in
Spin this month), but it will still be on his terms. One of the only things that remains the same from album to album is his integrity.
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*** Fulks has gone into the vaults to assemble a collection of mostly The usual Country music topics are covered. "Parallel Lines", a duet with Kelly Willis, is a tale of drinking and spatting with the spouse. "Hamilton County Breakdown" is a straightforward bluegrass jam. "I Just Want To Meet The Man" is a story of jealousy that gets more chilling as the song progresses. Two staples of Fulks' live shows, "Love Ain’t Nothing" and "You Break It, You Pay," finally appear in recorded form. Then there is the weirder material; A love song to Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles ("That Bangle Girl"), and the just strange "Wedding of the Bugs." Fulks and his lyrics have never been strangers to controversy, and this album is no exception.
"Roots Rock Weirdoes", a blatant and hysterical attack on the Alt/Country scene, is sure to alienate a lot of his fans that take themselves too seriously.
"White Man’s Bourbon," with lyrics that can be interpreted as racist and sexist, seems designed to offend anyone with an ounce of political correctness and no sense of humor. What makes it work, as with most of the songs on this collection, is the cleverness, humor, and intelligent songwriting that always typify the very best of Robbie Fulks.
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**1/2 The subject matter ranges from heartache to silly humor, with most of the clichés of the genre intact. The difference is that they deal directly with the harsh emotions of real life. Fulks thinks that most of today’s music is mere "sentimental indulgence" when compared with the emotional integrity of the songs represented here. Despair, self-loathing, and insanity walk hand in hand with happiness and joy, covering the spectrum of life. The loss of a child is recounted in "Jeannie’s Afraid of the Dark." The pain of the lyrics is palpable, even though it sounds almost maudlin to modern ears. In the context of this album it stands out and asks whether it is sentimental and dated, or just something so painful we can’t look at it anymore? Fulks' performance of these songs is brilliant, his voice conveying the extremes of emotion needed. As always he is backed by a group of incredibly talented musicians. What’s missing from this CD for a Fulks fan is his style of songwriting. He has an insight, coupled with a quirky sensibility, that brands his originals with the same kind of truth and emotional candor exhibited in the songs he covers. (Boondoggle Records)
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Buy Robbie Fulks at Amazon.com
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© 2003 Wayne Wise |
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In addition to the restraints placed on songwriting, there is also the packaging. Big hats and
accents and a uniformity of style are the current trends. The focus is on what will make a hit song and not on the artistic integrity of the performers. Little attention is paid to individuality, as songs are interchangeable commodities. This all leads to a repression of anything resembling an idiosyncratic voice.
lbum Fulks has yet recorded. That’s not to say that this isn’t a Country record, however. On all of his songs (including a duet with Lucinda Williams), the twang in his voice is still there, as are a lot of the traditional arrangements and instrumentation. But the guitars wail more from an infusion of electric rock sensibilities than from country angst. The whole affair feels more slickly produced than either of his previous efforts.
unreleased songs spanning his career. The result is somewhat more disjointed than his previous efforts, but still a very good album, serving to highlight the diversity of Fulks' songwriting ability.
Unless you are a true country aficionado, you won’t recognize any of the names—other than Dolly Parton and Jeannie Shepard—yet these thirteen songs were all hits at one time.
