FASTMAN/RAIDERMAN - FRANK BLACK
There’s no other in the wide world of rock like Frank Black, whose undying creative output is a constant source of amazement to fans and confusion to outsiders. His latest salvo, “Fastman/ Raiderman,” is his 11th solo album since leaving the Pixies in 1993. It’s also a double-disc, 27-song compendium of mostly refined Americana, albeit filtered through Black’s uniquely cockeyed worldview. Recorded in between tours with the re-formed Pixies, the project features a hodgepodge of guests including Levon Helm, Al Kooper and Steve Cropper. Throughout, Black sounds just as comfortable and confident cutting back-porch versions of Irish folk classics (”Dirty Old Town”), sultry New Orleans swamp-rock (”Dog Sleep”) and old-timey country sendoffs (”Sad Man’s Song”) as he did bridging the gap from underground punk to grunge in the late ’80s. Billboard
