The Fatherless And The Widow

Sixpence None The Richer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 13, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Flying Tart
• ASIN: B00000J7O5
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,012 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Field Of Flowers

2. Spotlight

3. The Fatherless And The Widow

4. Musings

5. Trust

6. Falling Leaves

7. Meaningless

8. Soul

9. An Apology

10. Trust (Reprise)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful debut album, October 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fatherless And The Widow (Audio CD)

Most people think of Sixpence as a new band, with their hits "Kiss Me" and "There She Goes" seemingly coming from out of nowhere to being played all over mainstream radio. But the truth is, Sixpence has been around for years. TFATW is their first CD and is a stellar debut. Their earlier stuff is very different from their latest album, but still shines with the ethereal vocals of Leigh Bingham (Nash) and the poetic lyrics of Matt Slocum, who also plays guitar. This album sounds a bit like the Sundays with a hint of 80's-era U2 mixed in. Definitely worth checking out. Also check out their second album, "This Beautiful Mess".

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Humble Beginnings, January 25, 2003

By 

Gift Card Recipient "utterflybay" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fatherless And The Widow (Audio CD)

I love buying a band's first album after I've become a fan of later works - it's always fun to hear where my favourite groups started out. For example, I first became a fan of Sixpence through their second record, "This Beautiful Mess". I loved the juxtaposition of Leigh's sweet voice against hard guitars and intelligent, literary lyrics. Then, I bought the self-titled record, well before "Kiss Me" hit the charts. That was when I bestowed the heavy title of Favourite Band Ever on Sixpence...

and this debut is good. Sure, it's not the concept-laden, Beatlesque masterpiece of their self-titled. Sure, it's not quite the daring spiritual rock of "This Beautiful Mess". It's not even the super-polished pop candy of "Divine Discontent", but it's good. They took their influences (most notably The Sundays) and made those styles their own. Matt Slocum was already writing smarter, deeper lyrics at 21 than most young writers these days. Leigh's voice is notably deeper, as she seems to be just finding it.

And all of that is okay. "Fatherless..." shines with intelligence, homage to influences, and loads of potential. It's a very summery, light record (despite the heavy lyrical content) with circular, swirly guitars and upbeat melodies.

Standouts (in my opinion) are "Field of Flowers", "An Apology", "Spotlight", "Trust", and "Falling Leaves".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Debut Album of Vastly Underrated band, September 24, 2001

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fatherless And The Widow (Audio CD)

Sixpence achieved acclaim with their 1997 self-titled album, which in reality is theird 3rd album. "Fatherless and the Widow" is their debut album and is definitely worth looking into.

"Field of Flowers" and "Spotlight", the opening 2 tracks, are in and of themselves alone worth getting the album for. "Field of Flowers" is a 2'25" ode to nature, with an upbeat hook to it and the instantly recognizable "Sixpence sound", "Spotlight" completes the one-two musical punch with a bass-driven, again upbeat tone. (I can just imagine Matt Slocum, the "brains" behind the Sixpence sound, sitting around thinking "How am I going to top that one?" Well, he didn't, at least not on this album.)

After these 2 stunning songs, the band slows down and becomes far more reflective. The title track is beautiful, haunting. "An Apology" is about regret. "Trust" is, musically, not all that great, but the song has such a great message. All in all, 10 songs, 40 min. of discovering the "roots" of Sixpence, and 2 stunning tunes to top it all of.

I found this album, looking for more of the "Kiss me"/"There She Goes" type songs. And I was not disappointed with this. (Final note: I ordered the album from the Amazon UK website and had no trouble getting it.)