If you haven't heard of Chris Hickey, I wouldn't hold it against you. This is only his third solo recording, the first two coming out in 1985 and 1987. He also played a big role in two bands that released a single album apiece -- Show Of Hands and Uma. This means in 18 years, this is basically his fifth release (not including a punk band he played in earlier in the ‘80s). So he's not taken the Robert Pollard/Guided By Voices release-anything-you've-ever-recorded route.

I strongly feel that you will be a more satisfied music fan if you hear Chris Hickey. Hickey sings acoustic folk songs that often edge into pop song territory. He is an astute lyricist, capable of eliciting a great deal of emotion and more than his fair share of trenchant observations. His voice compliments this perfectly. The closest comparison I can make, and I've been making it since 1985, is T-Bone Burnett. And that isn't so close. So I'll just say that Hickey's vocals are a key component that elevate his music to greatness.

-Mike Bennett | www.fufkin.com Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.