2007 was the year Robbie Fulks unleashed his revenge on his fans...or, I should say, his Revenge!. The man is a fine country singer; he blends wit, humor, and weepers into a brilliant whole. While later records back away from his sarcastic, sassy, clever salad days humor, he's still an amazingly wonderful musician. Revenge! is a two-disc live set, though it's not a complete show; instead, the two discs contain two different forms of Robbie Fulks live; disc one finds him with a rather tight four-piece country-rock band, while the second disc finds him in stripped-down, acoustic mode.

It's an interesting dichotomy, for both discs excellently display his talents. When you hear him with a full band, you hear him as a front man, and he sounds really damn good in front of a band--especially one with as much power as his. When you hear him in the acoustic setting, you discover that he's an excellent guitar player and lyricist, and you realize he doesn't need a damn band to impress you. Disc one contains several of his "hits," with wonderful takes on early hits like "Good-bye Good Lookin'," "Let's Kill Saturday Night," and "Busy Not Crying." Disc two contains a number of songs that contain his wit, but the disc also contains some of his most affecting, most beautiful work. I mean, try not to have a damn tear in your eye on "On A Real Good Day." When his band does bluegrass on "The Bluebirds are Singing for Me," it sounds good...it sounds real good. In fact, this second disc finds him exploring those bluegrass and country roots of his in a way heretofore unexplored, and honestly, I'd like to hear him go more "roots" like he does. The only downside to the whole damn set is his cover of Cher's "Believe" (!!!) because it just seems too damn ironic for my taste. Though, I have to say, I find his vocal imitation of her vocoder-laced singing hilarious.

I don't know if or when Robbie Fulks will ever come to my town, but I take solace in knowing that he's a damn good live act, as proven by Revenge!.

Listen To: Let's Kill Saturday Night"
Listen To: I Like Being Left Alone"

Revenge! is available now on Yep Roc

Labels: Robbie Fulks, Yep Roc

posted by joseph kyle @ 7:40 AM

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