Frank Fairfield: Out on the Open West

Label: Tompkins Square

It's always unwise to make predictions in June, but if I'm certain of anything right now, it's that I'm not going to hear a better roots/Americana album in 2011 than Frank Fairfield's haunting, lovely Out on the Open West. What makes this recording so special is how Fairfield manages to pull off a modern album with a genuinely old sound that doesn't descend into parody. For this we can thank Fairfield's talents as a songwriter and instrumentalist. A onetime street musician, Fairfield was spotted busking by the right people and soon found himself touring with the Fleet Foxes. He now records with Tompkins Square, the best roots label by a country mile, and here we have his sophomore effort. His 2009 debut too was a stunner, winning high praise from the likes of Greil Marcus, but here Fairfield takes us on a few new directions. He's no longer purely a solo act, and he jams nicely with guitarists Tom Marion and Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton and and shares vocal duties with Willie Watson. Most important, Fairfield shows his songwriting chops, from the powerful opener, "Frazier Blues" to the melancholic "But That's Alright" and "Ruthie." We also get three traditional instrumentals, with Fairfield in fine form on guitar, fiddle and banjo. Out on the Open West has a warm, crackling sound throughout worthy of the old 78s he cherishes. It's a charming and moving record. Ignore this great talent at your own peril.