Customer Reviews

The Best Worst-Case Scenario

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been buying music for 40 years...this quite simply is one of the best records I have ever heard and makes my desert island list shoving other classics down the ladder. The music is tight....the lyrics are thoughtful and provoking beyond measure...the mix is outstanding...transistions and breaks give me goose bumps...all the talk about Aaron Sprinkle...ok, I get it now. So overwhelmed was I by this disc that I began moving backwards...searching for other Sprinkle work that I missed because of the speed of life....he is gifted..he is blessed....and for a few dollars we have the priviledge of owning aural art. I dont do reviews....but felt compelled...there are few CD's I own which are so good that I simply have to listen to them over and over...reluctant to remove them from the player, expectant that I will hear something I missed the last time....I call these discs "loopers"....let em loop. "Fair" is outstanding. If it hits you like it hit me...move backwards and get "Lackluster" by Aaron Sprinkle. Seek truth.

obscuro the prominent

After taking the time to produce stellar material for artists like Kutless, Hawk Nelson, Jeremy Camp, and KJ 52, frontman Aaron Sprinkle comes out with an outstanding effort on the debut album by his new band Fair. This is a strong release all the way through, with pristine production and good melodies. My favorite tracks are "Monday", "Bide My Crime", and "Cut Down Sideways". In my opinion, there are no "skip" tracks on this album which is rare for any album these days. It's simply an enjoyable listen that rocks. Buy it!

I am 45 years old and have heard a lot of music in my life. My personal music collection exceeds 1500 albums/CDs. My musical preference is Christian but I am a long time Yes fan and also enjoy Death Cab for Cutie, Dido, Vanessa Carlton. All of that to say this is simply one of the best musical recording I have ever heard. My children and my wife also love this CD. My only other comment is, when is the next recording coming out.

This is the most recent project from musician/producer Aaron Sprinkle, who along with starting a career as a solo artist has gone into the studio with Pedro the Lion, Emery and Damien Jurado (another emo fan favorite). What resulted is a twelve track collection of very well produced, mellow pop songs for the fans of indie pop rock, rather the indie screamo-rock.

Vocalist Sprinkle has a vocal quality similar to Matthew Sweet with the slightly nasal quality and sentimental lyrics. The album is strong in the areas of song writing (perfectly structured songs) and production. you can easily hum to his pop songs, especially on tunes like "Unglued" and "Bide My Crime". Like Keane and Coldplay, Fair rides a fine line between adult contemporary pop and alternative/indie rock. However, they do it very, very well. This is a great record and it is oh so smooooth.

I've found it very easy to compare Fair's "The Best Worst-Case Scenario" to the album "Ephemere" by Sprinkle's previous band "Rose Blossom Punch". Both of them have significant strengths which make them standout from a lot of Christian/post-Christian music releases. Namely Aaron Sprinkle's outstanding voice and songwriting.

When it was released in 1997's Ephemere sounded a bit too rough around the edges, and thankfully Sprinkle and band have improved their sounds on Best Worst-Case Scenario, the production on a whole sound better on this album.

With all the improvements I think it would be even-handed to note that more than anything this band needs a 3rd party producer to come in. I have loved all of Aaron Sprinkle's solo material which is one of the reasons why the songs on this album are so good. Make no mistake - this is quality songwriting - hence 4 stars! But one cannot help but feel that there are times when Best Worst-Case Scenario feels like little more than an amped up solo record.

Most solo projects from artists accustomed to being in bands seem to posses the unrushed feel that comes from someone making music at their own pace and on their own terms. It doesn't have the ebb, flow and fight that you come to expect from a working band recording their first record. In this regard Best Worst-Case Scenario seems to feel too laid back. There's very little grit or urgency in the songs, which makes it easy to wonder if these songs weren't all written and tracked by Sprinkle who then brought in a few buddies to fill in one or two of the gaps. There are no "Grit" or "Urgency" pro-tool plugins (although I'm sure someone's working on it as we speak). To capture that sort of energy you have to do it the old fashioned way - playing and writing together as a band. Is that what happened in this case? Who knows?

Hopefully working with a producer might help Fair's next album move sonically beyond something that could easily be mistaken for another solo project by Sprinkle. Obviously you cannot judge the quality of an album by asking whether or not the band formed in studio or out. But in this case it's a fair question.

This album is simply amazing. The sound is outstanding and solid. The vocals rock and every song is great. It is a really great find. It is my favorite album right now. I listen to it over and over.

Knowing that I've yet to hear something that Aaron Sprinkle does that I don't like, I'm not at all surprised that he (with the help of his friends) has done it again. Every song is solid, the guests added what they added well, and it leaves me wanting to see these guys succeed so that they can create another album. Although I still would like for Aaron Sprinkle to create another solo record or two, I hope these guys are around for years to come.

This is one of those rare music efforts that is nearly 100% on the satisfaction scale. the vocals are unique but not in a quirky way. the songs are creative and the melodies pleasingly unpredictable. I can't really make a comparison to other bands and I don't appreciate when reviewers do it-it's seldom accurate anyway. this cd will be in your top 5 guarranteed-it is in mine.

I very recently purchased this CD..listened to only the first 5 songs and it's so good it gave me chills. Amazing. I can't wait to hear the rest. Tooth and Nail is the best label for bands/songwriters.

The Best Worst-Case Scenario is in some ways exactly what the album title implies. Sometimes glistening with a pop-sensibility yet an emotive edge (Monday) at others a raw, stark feel (Grab Your Coat), Fair is very much an indie band, rarely straying out-of-genre. Aaron Sprinkle's vocals are smooth, cracking at all the right moments, especially on the masterfully beautiful "Unglued," with shining melodies. Other highlights would be the sentimental moments in "Blurry Eyed" and "Pause."

However, with all this praise, TBWCS is far from a perfect record. Songs like "Get You Out Alive, Confidently Dreaming, and The Dumbfound Game" just didn't work for me, lyrically or musically. The record as a whole has a tendency to slip into tedious, same-old-same-old chords and a disappointing lack of innovative riffing, even in some of the better songs.

So, this CD is definitely worth a listen--I'm glad I bought it. However, as with many debut albums, it lacks the depth that I'm sure they'll find with their next album.