Robbie Fulks - Upland Stories (2016)

Produced by Steve Albini. In 1993, as part of the first-generation Bloodshot roster, Robbie fulks helped define "Alternative Country." In 2013, after two decades playing music everywhere from the taverns of southern Illinois to the honky tonks of northern Norway, from Austin City Limits' soundstage to the historic Grand Ole Opry, he reunited with the label for the highly acclained Gone Away Backward. Upland Stories continues and - with sprinklings of pedal steel, drums, electric guitar, and keyboards - expands the sound of that acoustic set. Fulks' richly emotional storytelling is illuminated by his instrumental prowess and powerful voice. It's a philosophically reflective album, written "with clear eyes and a full heart" (Ken Tucker, NPR). Don't get us wrong, his wit is still as quick as his picking, but it's reflected through the lens of fatherhood, marriage, middle age, and the literary voices he is drawn to and draws from. Robbie makes songs that offer more than verse-chorus-hook: These songs have space, calmness, unresolved tensions and the hallmarks of lived experience. Twenty years ago, Robbie's exuberance for old-school. Accompanying him is an incredible cast. Todd Phillips emerged in the 1970s as bassist in David Grisman's and Tony Rice's classic lineups. Frequent Bill Frisell collaborator Jenny Scheinman played violin, as did Shad Cobb (Osborne Brothers, Steve Earle, Willie Nelson). The two Chicagoans on the record are Flatlanders guitarist Robbie Gjersoe and trad-jazz drummer Alex Hall. The multi-faceted utility string wizard Fats Kaplin (Jack White) and legendary avant-gardist Wayne Horvitz (Naked City, Paul Taylor, Zony Mash) complete the extraordinary ensemble. "America's most unjustly unsung singer/songwriter." - SPIN