Customer Reviews

Georgia Hard

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I agree with the other reviews-- RF goes to Nashville & channels Roger Miller, Bill Anderson, maybe a little Shel Silverstein, & others. The presence of the fantastic Bergen White directing strings is a part of that. But it's more than just nostalgic-- the songs also ring as contemporary truth. While this may take an adjustment for those used to his harder-edged alternative country, there're still pointed lyrics (check out the Silversteinish "I'm Gonna Take Ya Home"), & some nice veiled (& not so veiled) send ups of curent country & alternative country too. And some really solid songs like "Leave It to Loser" & honky tonk "All You Can Cheat" and most of the others. He does a quiet version of Dallas Wayne's "Coldwater, Tennessee' (RF co-wrote it) which still packs a deadly psychological punch. I think this one features RF's strongest singing--in the past for me a little bit of a minus point. Great album IMO, yet another dimention to one of the most talented 'alt. country' artists.

Fulks returns to his country roots with perhaps his best effort yet, a wonderful 15-song set that summons the spirits of Johnny Paycheck, Roger Miller, Merle Haggard, and other heroes of popular country 's most recent era of great artistry. There's plenty of Fulks' trademark cheeky wit here, with "I'm Gonna Take You Home and Make You Like Me," "Goodbye Cruel Girl," and "Countrier Than Thou" among the disc's highlights. The humor is supplemented by some of Fulks' finest efforts at serious songwriting, including the title track and "Leave it to a Loser." On both, Fulks drops the comfortable guard of irony and places his faith in the strength of the songs and his ability to deliver them. The results are spectacular.

If country radio sounded anything like this album, the world would be a much, much better place.

Mainstream Nashville is just beginning to regain credibility while learning to reconcile the 70's "Outlaw Movement" and Chet Atkin's "Nashville Sound" with bluegrass and honky-tonk roots. While it's good news on the whole, this has only come in spurts from several different artists. On "Georgia Hard" Robbie Fulks delivers the full spectrum in one incredible album. For long-time Fulks fans, this is the album you always knew he had in him: funny, smart, dark, beautiful, and honest. There have been some great albums released this year--"Georgia Hard" leaves them all in the dust.

One of the many great things about Robbie Fulks is his unpredictability. One never knows what the next project will sound like. He's released smartass country songs, serious faithful covers of unknown buried treasures, and thematic albums containing a variety of styles. This release, apparently inspired by '60s and '70s country stylings and production,
is one that grows on you with each listen. As always, the songwriting is terrific, with clever twists and plays on words. Also, the musicians performing here are top-notch. Buy it.

...his mental rolodex of country music's many moods and styles, from hillbilly and murder ballads to dancehall swing to honky tonk, countrypolitan, folk, cowpunk and beyond. And as always, it's his incredibly well-written lyrics that really pull the plow. Alternately funny, bitter, romantic, downright goofy and drop dead serious, Georgia Hard finds the perfect balance between cynicism and faith, hope and despair, satire and wisdom, pleasure and pain. Oh, and it's really fun to listen to as well. That's the true point I'm trying to make (I knew I'd get to it). For quite a while now, Fulks has been delivering a joyful noise that makes damn fools of the Nashville Corporate-Country Overlords who ignore such authentic artists in favor of generic hats and catsuits. Georgia Hard is a perfect opportunity for new fans to discover an album (yeah, I still call em that) and an artist that will become part of the landscape of their lives. Don't pass this up--or any of Fulks' other albums either. And if he plays live in your area, GO! Solo or with a band, you 'll have the time of your life.

I've been listening to Robbie's stuff for a couple of years now, and was pleased to find his latest offering under my Christmas tree.

The previous review is correct in that Georgia Hard is more reserved than albums past, and that's precisely why I enjoy it so much. Everything flows very naturally on this album, which is a perfect example of how discs should play from beginning to end. Fulks' humor comes alive, particularly on "I'm Gonna Take You Home (And Make You Like Me)," a rolling, playful duet in that style Johnny and June made so popular.

If you're looking for a Robbie album to start with, I'd definitely recommend this one alongside Let's Kill Saturday Night.

Wonderful songwriter, clever lyrics, great music. A must-buy. You will not regret having this in your collection.

Just when I thought Robbie Fulks couldn't get any better, he did.

Robbie Fulks has nowhere near the level of fame and critical acclaim he deserves. Like Kristofferson once said about Billy Joe Shaver - "If life were a TV show, he'd come on at 4 am. I'd like to get him a better time slot." Robbie Fulks deserves prime time broadcast programming but he's on late night cable instead.

I can't figure out why "Georgia Hard" isn't the #1 song on country radio, or alt-country or Americana or whatever it's called nowadays. This album is full of gems, but "Georgia Hard" gave me goosebumps the first time I heard it.

it's a mystery to me why Robbie Fulks hasn't taken off, if not as a singer at least as a songwriter. All his efforts have contained at least a handful of truly excellent songs. "Let's Kill Saturday Night" should have been a number 1 hit. This record is more restrained than previous outings, but I could certainly see Alan Jackson having a hit with You Don't Want What I Have. Great album from a great songwriter.

Fulks' reputation as an insurgent might provide an ironic clash to this record's commercial sound, if the sound wasn't a 30-year throwback. The singer who penned "F*ck This Town" appears to have reconsidered Music City, and poured himself into a truly fine set of country songs. From the tight bluegrass harmonies and Sam Bush's mandolin trimmings on the opener, to the String Machine ballad, "Leave it to a Loser," Fulks connects with the heart and soul of Nashville's mid-70s commercial country sound.

This is a finely-crafted Whitman's sampler of the '70s best styles, including sad Tom T. Hall-styled narratives, edgy murder ballads, honky-tonk cheatin' songs and country soul. Fulks' most political statement, "Countrier Than Thou," takes a swipe at W, but could also be heard reflecting on the general dogma of "authenticity." The songs are beautifully crafted (Tim McGraw would do well to check these out while he's awaiting Bruce Robison's next album), and the production and playing are refined in the manner of their inspiration. This album may not be as openly challenging as Fulks' earlier hybrids, but there's something truly subversive (and incredibly pleasant) in his embrace of such dated commercial sounds.