You can clearly see where Robbie came from with these early tracks. Undoubtedly unique and sometimes controversial he nevertheless produces super, acidic, songs in a country vein, but nowhere near the sounds from Nashville. Excellent as a starter or gap filler.
Over the past twenty years, only a few albums have made as deep of an impression on me as this one. Robbie is certainly one of the most gifted (and under-rated) artists playing music today. If you miss the good ol' days of Buck Owens and George Jones, give this album a try. You won't regret it. And if you ever get a chance to see him play live, do it! He's probably the most exciting and liveliest performer I've ever seen.
I am a fool for "Traditional"* Country music in the vein of George Jones, Buck Owens, and Merle Haggard so it only makes sense that I would be attracted to "New Traditionalists" like Steve Earle, Marty Stuart, and Dwight Yoakum. I recently discovered the "NeoTraditionalist"* Jim Lauderdale and crow about him earlier on this blog. I have "discovered" another: Robbie Fulks. Robbie has even more of the ironic sense of humor that makes light of the subject but not the style of traditional country music. Mr. Fulks, like Mr. Lauderdale, plays with the self-consciousness of the lyrics and exploits the sound, but ultimately celebrates the style.
