William Fitzsimmons- The Sparrow and the Crow
Wed 15 Jul 2009
William Fitzsimmons- The Sparrow and the Crow
7/10
Impressionable folk music, The Sparrow and the Crow is an idyllic display of poignant folk musicianship. This is William Fitzsimmons’ first studio album; his third in total after self-producing his first two albums in his Pittsburgh bedroom. Fitzsimmons is best known for his two songs that appeared in the television drama Greys Anatomy, both ‘Passion Play’ and Please Don’t Go’ played during pivotal scenes in season three of the show. Packed with emotionally charged lyrics, gently picked acoustic guitar and intermittent use of banjo, ukulele, piano, accordion, organ and mellotron, Fitzsimmons soothes the heart with his soft, well structured traditional folk music. His breezy, softly spoken harmonic voice gives the songs a passionate, religious like leadership, acting more like an instrument than a dictating church pastor. However you shouldn’t be put of by the word ‘religious’, it mealy refers to the tone and structure of the music, not the lyrical content. Throughout the album Fitzsimmons balances gentle acoustic folk with more elaborate country style folk rock, but it all ties together beautifully due to the slow rhythm that’s maintained across all the different instrumental arrangements. At his best, Fitzsimmons has a minimal ensemble. ‘I Don’t Feel It Anymore (Song of the Sparrow)’ is a stripped back acoustic song, plainly lit with a banjo and an acoustic guitar. The instrumentation provides a watery landscape for Fitzsimmons’ voice to soak in the rain, spoken like a crying owl hidden amongst the think branches. ‘You Still Hurt Me’ is another highlight, a similar sounding stripped back acoustic song with a perfect vocal melody. Despite its beauty, the album doesn’t offer much leverage to attract fans from outside of the folk genre. All the tracks follow a very similar structure but remain within a niche predominantly filled by music from the 1950s and early 60s. Fitzsimmons’ focus is to channel the path used by many over the course of history. More like Pete Seager than Bob Dylan, there’s no chance he would ever be booed from the Newport folk festival stage.
Nick
