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"Couples in Trouble"
None of Robbie Fulks's previous releases
anticipated the range of moods, melodies, approaches, and arrangements
on display here, from the traditional balladry of the album-opening
"In Bristol Town One Bright Day" through the supper-club
elegance of "She Needs You Now." His first CD for his
own Boondoggle label defies categorization, though you could
plot its ambitions on an axis that extends from the sophistication
of Paul Simon ("My Tormentor") and the bite of Elvis
Costello ("Mad at a Girl," "I've Got to Tell Myself
the Truth") through the Southern soul of Lucinda Williams
("Real Money") and the industrial clang of Tom Waits
("Brenda's New Stepfather"). As the title suggests,
love's darker side provides the connecting conceptual thread,
with most of the material striking a note of bittersweet maturity
rather than the sardonic streak so prevalent in Fulks's earlier
work. --Don McLeese |
Customer review from Amazon
Reviewer: Derek G. Cantrell from Fishers,
IN USA
Anyone who has seen RF live isn't
surprised by the depth, range, and beauty of this album. In fact,
there will be some who will go on and on about some cosmic artistic
transformation. (Deborah Gibson...now there's a transformation)
Couples in Trouble is a terrific album, as is each one of Robbie's
previous releases. Why? Because Robbie crafts songs, not styles.
He also is an outstanding musician and arranger. Here is where
he is often stylistically pigeonholed. Buy the albums, go see
him live. Laugh at his sardonic wit. Sing along and smile. |
Photo by Duwan Dunn.j |
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