Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 06/06/2006
Christian indie rockers Fair are the new project by
singer/songwriter Aaron Sprinkle, whose previous band,
Poor Old Lu, and ongoing solo career are much beloved by folks on the somewhat edgier side of the
CCM marketplace. Fundamentally,
The Best Worst-Case Scenario is of a piece with
Sprinkle's earlier work; the Seattle native has a distinctive vocal style -- a winsome, boyish tenor with just a hint of twang -- that's his most appealing attribute, and also one that would be difficult to downplay. But
The Best Worst-Case Scenario lacks the
emo-tinged heaviness and distortion of much of
Sprinkle's earlier work. This album is filled with moody
guitar pop songs not at all dissimilar to fellow artists of the Pacific Northwest like
the Shins and
the Decemberists, but with a more slickly commercial edge, as if
Sprinkle was approaching this album with an ear toward the
alterna-rock radio mainstream. This would also explain the considerably more oblique lyrical style on this album; songs like
"The Attic" and
"The Dumbfound Game" couch
Sprinkle's spiritual side in lyrics so allegorical that listeners who don't know of his beliefs may well not be any wiser after they've heard them. More doctrinaire fans of
Poor Old Lu or
Aaron Sprinkle's solo albums might be somewhat put off as a result of these shifts toward the musical and lyrical mainstream, but the resulting album is melodically satisfying enough to make lyrical disagreements somewhat beside the point.
~Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
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