Robbie Fulks 13 Hillbilly Giants CD

Leave it to Robbie Fulks to unearth 13 mostly obscure masterworks by 13 mostly out-of-print country artists, update them with 13 bang-up recordings, and then boldly package the whole thing as 13 HILLBILLY GIANTS. Few artists have made tribute albums that so brazenly display their erudition while so clearly demonstrating their mastery of a genre.

Fulks' ebullient covers of Frankie Miller's "Family Man" and Jimmy Murphy's "We Live a Long Time to Get Old" will undoubtedly send country enthusiasts on long (and probably fruitless) searches for the original recordings. Likewise, fans of country oddities will be transfixed by Fulks's demented takes on Jimmie Lodgson's "I Want to Be Mama'd" and the Carlisles' "Knot Hole." 13 HILLBILLY GIANTS returns to a time when hard drinking ("Cocktails," "Bury the Bottle With Me"), cheating ("Act Like a Married Man," "Lotta Lotta Women"), and unsettling morbidity ("Jeannie's Afraid of the Dark") were all fit subjects for a country song. A powerful antidote to the Garth Brookses and Faith Hills of the world.

Recorded at Electrical Audio, Chicago, Illinois on October 30 & 31, 2001. Includes liner notes by Robbie Fulks.

Personnel: Robbie Fulks (vocals, acoustic guitar); Robbie Gjersoe (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, dobro); Joe Terry (vocals, piano, organ); Al Murphy (acoustic guitar, fiddle); Lorne Rall (upright bass); Gerald Dowd (drums).

Liner Note Author: Robbie Fulks.

Recording information: Electrical Audio, Chicago, IL (10/30/2000/10/31/2000).

Personnel includes: Robbie Fulks (vocals, acoustic guitar); Donna Fulks (vocals); Robbie Gjersoe (acoustic & electric guitars, dobro, background vocals); Al Murphy (acoustic guitar, fiddle); Joe Terry (piano, organ, background vocals); Lorne Rall (upright bass); Gerald Dowd (drums).

Spin (2/02, p.110) - 7 out of 10 - "...Superbly chosen, performed with muscle, and a worthy corrective to country's dangerous respectability..."
CMJ (11-12/01, p.76) - "...Fulks comes off like Lyle Lovett with fewer cuddly idiosyncrasies....this is music that is vital and contemporary..."