Mood: chatty
An intimate, soul-baring acoustic collection of exquisite songs, crafted with precision, shows a new side to the profoundly-talented, taller Sprague brother.
Of the multi-talented Frank Lee Sprague I've written about at length within these pages, so I'll submit that there is much goodness that has come and has yet to come from the taller Sprague brother, this acoustic-based collection of searingly endearing songs the latest example.
Working within the softer confines of popular song, Sprague has master-crafted a dozen musical perceptions seeded with honesty and the rich, textured melodies he is famous for. Pouring his heart out over adept acoustic guitar work, Sprague speaks directly to the listener, creating a heartfelt connection with all the trimmings of the real-life emotions he is singing about.
Sprague creates enticing soundscapes with little instrumentation, employing echo and complex chord changes and melody shifts to bring his creations to life. This is no more evident than on the opening track, "Another World," a paean to all-encompassing love that can make the rest of the world stand still. A beautifully-placed key change towards the end of the song elevates its considerable charm.
All-encompassing love is the topic at hand on Fulton Avenue, fueling the gorgeous "When I'm Without You." Happiness may not be a given, though, as this album proves; sometimes love encompasses and communicates loss. In "My Dream Was You," the object of the singer's affection is a woman who now exists only in his dreams. In "All Too Well," the singer ruminates over a love that takes a lifetime to reveal its complexities. Even the instrumental "The Devil's Joke" tells a nameless story of love over a lazy, Latin-tinged beat punctuated by nimble guitar turns and the wisp of a world music whistle. There is no singing, but there is mood and perception, and it rings true.
The vaguely-psychedelic "Mixed Up" is sort of a he said, she said examination of a love that tumbles up wet and dry. Love could go this way, or that, or even there. In these songs, Sprague examines every nook and cranny of the complexities of the heart that sometimes result in a tearful goodbye, as in the closing "Turning My Back on You," which features some sublime harmonies amidst the keen observational bent Sprague brings to all of Fulton Avenue's songs.
Fulton Avenue comes full circle with Sprague's version of Tim Moore's "Second Avenue," recast here as "Fulton Avenue." It's a beautiful, quiet song that neatly segues from "Turning My Back on You." The singer and his love have grown apart, he remains committed to her memory, but he, and she, have moved on to their second chances.
Sprague used to live on Fulton Avenue. His work here proves that the streets on which we live are immaterial to the way we live our lives, to how we achieve our promise, to how hard we strive for success and true love, and to how we accept our fates and move forward. Fulton Avenue turns out to be a collective metaphor for our lives, a grand statement delivered by a master craftsman working in his zone.
Alan Haber
April 2, 2006
Buhdge.com
Posted by duckking1
at 7:02 PM PST