Aural Fixations

ROBBIE FULKS
Georgia Hard
(Yep Roc)
It's pretty obvious, but I never hear anybody say it: Robbie Fulks is one of the best songwriters in the world. There are precious few musicians on this planet with the lyrical skill of Fulks; his ability to distill complex emotions and clever ideas into couplets so impossibly smooth they go down like warm milk is simply astonishing. That he then rests these gems on damn near irresistible C&W melodies makes them sparkle even more sweetly. Georgia Hard is the Southern-bred/Midwestern-bound Fulks' latest gift to song-starved fans, and it's as good as anything he's ever done. Taking the lifestyle of a middle-aged working musician as his inspiration (but not necessarily his sole subject), Fulks illuminates the hard road through adulthood with empathy and style. "Each Night I Try," "Doin' Right (For All the Wrong Reasons)" and "It's Always Raining Somewhere" would make acknowledged inspirations like Roger Miller and Charlie Rich proud. The introspection of "If They Could Only See Me Now" (told from a prisoner's POV) and "You Don't Want What I Have" (from the perspective of a man who never found his ambitions, let alone realized them) will gently, delicately snap your heartstrings. The rock-inflected "Coldwater, Tennessee" is both a melodramatic cautionary tale and a subtle parody of arena country anthems like Garth Brooks' "The Thunder Rolls." Fulks is at his best here, puncturing balloons while making you cry over the fragments as they float down to the ground.

Not everything here is so weighty, of course. Fulks is best known (if unfairly so) for his humorous side, and he's smart enough to leaven the hardtack with some popcorn. "Countrier Than Thou" makes fun of both sides of the authenticity divide, covertly asking the question: does it really matter, as long as the art holds up? "Goodbye, Cruel Girl" is a patented Fulks kiss-off, and "I'm Gonna Take You Home (and Make You Like Me)" is a hilarious hillbilly duet with his wife Donna. Fulks also pays tribute to guest guitarist Redd Volkaert (arguably the best country picker alive) with the instrumental "Right On Redd." Humor and pathos, clever grins and hot tears—it's all in the service of serving the songwriting muse. And that's a service Robbie Fulks is always willing and extremely able to provide. Michael Toland [buy it]