Gone Away Backward
There are many pretenders in the alt-country/Americana world, but Robbie Fulks isn\'t one of them. Fulks has consistently made excellent records that display his understanding and mastery of folk, blues, country, and bluegrass. He adds a sharp electric attack when needed, and for *Gone Away Backwards* he travels the acoustic route as he returns to Bloodshot Records: the label that unleashed his talents on the world more than 20 years ago. While he captures the thrilling house-party jam on upbeat tunes like “Long I Ride” and lets his backup band take over on the haunted and raucous instrumentals (“Snake Chapman’s Tune” and “Pacific Slope,” respectively), Fulks knocks out the competition on the ballads. “That’s Where I’m From” takes the lessons he’s learned from Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Richard Thompson, and the brothers Louvin and Everly, distilling it all into pure Fulks pathos over the most gorgeous six minutes a record can hold.
Always the contentious kind, Robbie Fulks flexes the old Tareyton Cigarettes mode of doing business: "I'd rather fight than switch."