The Sparrow and the Crow

William Fitzsimmons

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 7, 2009)
• Original Release Date: September 30, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Downtown
• ASIN: B001TN1EBG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,846 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

2009 release, the third album from the American singer/songwriter. William Fitzsimmons is one of the oddest people you will ever meet. Born the youngest child of two blind parents, William was raised in the outskirts of the steel city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Due to the family's inability to communicate through normal visual means, William's childhood home was filled with a myriad of sounds to replace what eyes could not see. The house was suffused with pianos, guitars, trombones, talking birds, classical records, family sing-a-longs, bedtime stories, and the bellowing of a pipe organ, which his father built into the house with his own hands. When his father's orchestral records were not resonating through the walls, his mother would educate him on the folk stylings of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Simon & Garfunkel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evocative and ethereal, October 25, 2008

By	RickChicago "All We Have is Now" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sparrow And The Crow (MP3 Download)

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...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Amazing!, July 10, 2009

By	S. Elliott "music is for lovers" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Amazing, February 26, 2009

By	Eric Ragle (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Sparrow And The Crow (MP3 Download)

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!