Customer Reviews

The Sparrow and the Crow

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

 

 

While looking for new folk guitar artists and songs to download (Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Ray Lamontaigne, etc...) Amazon listed this as one of the recommended items. The album cover art first grabbed me, then the title. The two things appeared to me something not something a record label exec might have put together. I thought OK, this looks like an introspective, dark, personal, and reflective - my kind of music (at least the mood I've been in musically speaking). I never heard of Fitzsimmons but after listening to the trial tracks, I liked the overall feel of the work and downloaded all the songs. I love love love "If you Would Come Back Home". I love the interplay of the guitars and the haunting piano work. In fact, that evocative interplay is what drove me musically to many of the tracks. And Fitzsimmon's voice and words are the perfect accompaniment, or is that in reverse? I guess structurally and technically speaking I love the weaving in and out of the instruments and his voice. A very beautiful work in my opinion. I'm very impessed at the quiet beauty fo this work. I'm going to let this album sink in and then I'll look into his other albums, which I hope he'll enliven me down a different musical path...

I love music, particualary the genera that William Fritzsimmons is in. But he is by far one of the best musicians in this or any other genera. His music calms the soul and carries a message that is pure, as it is deep. I really cannot say much more than this album speaks to me on so many levels. His voice is perfect, soft, and easy to listen to. The instruments prefectly compliment the vocals. And the two combine to create a sound that is unforgettable and simply a pleasure to hear. All of his music is phenominal, but this CD is, in my opinion, the best!

I would recommend this album to many of my friends. It is very intimate and from the soul. If you are interested in introspective, reflective, melodic music that is married will to excellent lyrical content, this is the album for you!

There is such an amazing truth that comes through in each of the songs on this album. The songs are slow paced (not for raving or grinding), but amazingly put together, well written and the tempo perfectly matches the message of each song. If you are looking for an amazing album, great for relaxing and provoking thought, with a strong and steady male vocal, this album is for you! I HIGHLY recommend it!

I bought William's cd expecting a great work and I was not disappointed. Being familiar with Fitzsimmons via online interviews and other media, I was able to see how these songs applied to his personal life. That said, it was still as if he has been sitting quietly in the corner of my life, jotting notes and scribbles, compiling the contents of this awesome set of tracks.

Well done William!

If you like music that comes directly from the soul of the musician and is chalked full of emotion then William Fitzsimmons is your man on this album. Now first off I'm a man who likes to own physical CD's because I enjoy album artwork, lyrics, and even the personal message from the artist, which Fitzsimmons includes and has everything to do with this record. But on too the music... The Sparrow & The Crow is beautiful and painful at the same time. This man faces the trials of divorce and the mixed emotions that stay with you long after its over. All I can say is that if you want to here a man's pain and hope over acoustic guitar and piano then buy this album. These songs with definitely touch you.

I have all of William's albums but this cd is undeniably my favorite! I think he is one of the best musicians in this genre due to his simplicity and authenticity. His music is calming and delivers a message that is untainted by Top 40. All of William's albums speak to you and offer a door into his personal heartaches and burdens. His voice is gentle and his lyrics are from the heart. If you have ever had a broken heart or been discouraged, you can relate to the musical testaments in each of his songs. The instruments perfectly compliment the vocals creating a sound that is phenomenal.

I highly recommend this album; especially if you wish to feel something from the music and not just hear a tune.

Some of my favorite tracks include: "After All", "Even Now", "You Still Hurt Me", and a duet I love... "I Don't Feel It Anymore", and "Just Not Each Other" - with lyrics like "You broke my heart, all that's forgiven. We lost our chance to love one another. We'll love again, but just not each other.."

PS. He is great live, also! I saw him with Rosi Golan (check out the duet with William she did called "Hazy") and it was amazingly emotional. If you ever get the chance, definitely check him out! And, to quote William, go "get your sad on"!

Emotionally driven, supremely well-executed song-craft from a prolific writer. If you enjoy other artists, such as Joshua Radin or Christian Floyd, you will definitely enjoy William Fitzsimmons! Highly recommended.

This is some of the most soothing, heartbreaking, amazing music I've found in a long while. It's the perfect break-up concept album best listened to from top to bottom. Every song is great. I just wish he had more albums out! Can't wait to hear more.

The first thing that you notice about the tracks on this album is the beautiful melody of the music itself. Fitzsimmons' voice combined with moving acoustic guitar and piano riffs calm the mind and open the heart. In the midst of being fully entranced by the beauty of the music the lyrics seem to slowly emerge from the background. By album's end you can't get these lyrics or the melodies out of your head, and you realize Fitzsimmons has taken you on a journey quite common to anyone who has had a heart breaking relationship.

It soon becomes strikingly evident that these are not just lyrics, but they are pure and honest emotions born out of an emotional struggle of grief and regret that was real and personal for Fitzsimmons. As you listen to his musical monologue it is as if he is bearing his own heart and soul about such a personal experience on an intimate level. You begin to relate to his experience and find yourself saying, "I feel or have felt just like that". It is this ability to make you relate to what he has felt through his music that makes Fitzsimmons a true artist and a rare talent.

This is a great album if you actually want to feel something rather than just listen to something. I give it 5 out of 5 stars!

Some of my favorite tracks include:

"Even Now" - with lyrics like "How long should I wait, before I let you go? How long should I decide? Whose side should I take when both of us are wrong? When we both share the blame. Oh but I love you even still, even now, even though we fell apart. Even still, even now, but I hope we'll meet again."

"I Don't Feel It Anymore (Song of the Sparrow)"

"If You Would Come Back Home"

"You Still Hurt Me"

"Find Me To Forgive"