Living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, I often see local singer/songwriters opening for touring acts. Most will never make it out of the Metroplex, but there are a few standouts. Madison King is a no nonsense whiskey slamming gal that can write with a refreshing candor; she recently toured with the Old 97’s and seems to be transitioning toward headlining status. Ginny Mac has been a member of Brave Combo and has an eclecticism, from Western swing to torch songs to accordion based country covers, that matches her quite striking beauty. Once Ginny settles into her permanent musical direction, she will be perfectly comfortable on a bigger stage. Lastly, Ronnie Fauss is a singer/songwriter who dives headfirst into heartbreak and loss. He is not content with playing small ball.
My introduction to Fauss came when I heard a song from his debut album, I Am the Man You Know I’m Not, on a community radio station’s traditional country program. I immediately purchased the album and was impressed by both his songwriting ability and the honesty of his music. My first chance to see him perform live was no less impressive and his current album, Built to Break, appears to be gaining traction in the Americana music community. Fauss has moved from a Texas honky tonk sound on his debut record to a more contemporary alt/country style on his new release.
Built to Break isn’t easy listening music and there’s not a single iota of bro country/skirt chasing/beer drinking good times. It’s character driven material and the lyrics matter so much that Fauss included them in the CD booklet. The music varies from crisp rockers to country duets to acoustic ballads, but the heart of what he does is in what he says, not the chord changes or guitar breaks.
The emotional centerpiece is his stripped down cover of Phosphorescent’s “Song for Zula,” which starts by quoting “Ring of Fire,” but transitions into a poetic look at a man whose relationship with his lover has evolved into an emotional prison. This is a song about a slow burning rage – the type of deep-seated anger that’s uncomfortable to acknowledge. Fauss’s reading does nothing to comfort the listener and his restructuring of the song from its original electronic sound maximizes the lyrical impact.
Fauss is equally straightforward on his originals with the couplet “You say that you’re lonely/Lonely is just a point of view” capturing the mood of the record. On “Another Town,” the lead track, a relationship battle ends when she skips town with the baby, leaving the narrator and his bottle behind. There are songs about broken families and a man haunted by his unspoken sins and the struggles of the working class. However, he does get more emotionally upbeat when Rhett Miller joins him and he drives back to his baby on “Eighteen Wheels” and has the wisdom to know that money is more necessary than evil when it comes to family obligations. This isn’t a perfect record, but does display all the qualities we want from singer/songwriters – honesty, wisdom, insight, maturity. It’s not a world of happy endings and resolved conflicts. Really, is anyone’s?
Grade – B+
