Copious Notes

The Fray are singer and pianist Isaac Slade, guitarist Dave Welsh, guitarist and singer Joe King and drummer Ben Wysocki.

Review: The Fray, The Fray

Doesn’t Isaac Slade ever want to rock? Is he or any of his bandmates in The Fray ever happy?

These questions start to fill your brain emerging from the numbing march of mid-tempo tunes that populate the band’s self-titled sophomore album. It’s not so much that any of these numbers is bad. The Fray, after all, wrote one of the great soft rockers with the title track from 2005’s debut, How to Save a Life. But this follow up makes you wonder if there is anything else in the arsenal for these guys.

The closest thing to a yes comes on track nine out of 10, with We Build Then We Break in which lead guitarist Dave Welsh finally gets to break free with a gritty solo. But, like the lead-off single, You Found Me, and Save a Life, most of the album is empathetic ballads about loss and pain. In mood and sound, The Fray are reminiscent of Counting Crows. But Adam Duritz & Co. always had their Mr. Joneses to match their ‘Round Heres.

It’s a bit of a shame for Christian music fans and the industry, because after achieving mainstream success, The Fray turned around and embraced the faith-based market with a Christian distribution deal. It would be nice if they brought a bit more to the table here. A poor sophomore album won’t kill a band with a couple of big hit singles. But Slade & Co. shouldn’t be allowed to record again without some more diversity in their tunes.

Grammy winners: They didn’t hand out many Grammy Awards on the Grammy broadcast Sunday night, and none in the Gospel categories. So, if you haven’t seen them yet, here are the winners:

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album: Kirk Franklin, The Fight of My Life

Best Traditional Gospel Album: The Blind Boys of Alabama, Down in New Orleans

Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album: Gaither Vocal Band, Lovin’ Life

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: CeCe Winans, Thy Kingdom Come

Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album: TobyMac, Alive and Transported

Best Gospel Song: Kirk Franklin, Help Me Believe

Best Gospel Performance: Mary Mary, Get Up

Volunteers needed: The Winter Jam Tour, which brings TobyMac, Hawk Nelson and others to Rupp on March 7, is seeking volunteers to do things such as work at artist merchandise tables. The downside is you won’t be able to see the show. But if you want to get involved, contact Tim Gerst at (859) 494-7280 or timothy@premierproductions.com.

If you just want to go to the show, it starts at 6 p.m., and tickets are $10 at the door.

Sean Watkins and Jon Foreman, aka Fiction Family.

Review: Fiction Family, Fiction Family

When you’re listening to new music and names like Lennon and McCartney, Difford and Tilbrook, and Neil Finn start rushing to mind, you know you have something good in your earbuds. When you mix that songwriting prowess with the instrumental dexterity of leaders of two of the most accomplished bands currently open for business, you have the first unqualified triumph of our young year.

Fiction Family is the collaboration of Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman, who le blog credited with the best Christian music of 2008 as a solo artist, and Nickel Creek guitarist and singer Sean Watkins. The duo reportedly met at a gig played by their respective bands plus R.E.M. and Wilco, which is to say Fiction Family was born of some great music.

The story is that this album has been in the works since 2006, with Foreman and Watkins exchanging ideas they worked on during their bands’ tour breaks. That means the disc is populated with two lead voices and a wide variety of instrumental ideas, from the sublime acoustic skips of songs such as War in my Blood to a jarring cacophony at the end of Please Don’t Call it Love by a spooky, airy organ. In some ways, this self-titled debut is somewhat reminiscent of The Beatles Revolver album, which combined the sublimeness of Here, There and Everywhere and the arty excursion of She Said She Said.

Christian market fans may be surprised to find little in statements of faith from Foreman. There’s more provocation of thought here, which has always been a hallmark of Switchfoot and Foreman’s solo stuff, in songs such as Look for Me Baby, a little banjo and bass flight that closes the album.

But Fiction Family also seems to be exposing Foreman to new audiences, as the duo is getting played on stations like Lexington adult rock outlet WUKY-FM 91.3 and has shots on NPR music shows such as Mountain Stage and World Cafe.

As much as any effort, Fiction Family seems likely to open a new chapter in Foreman’s career.

New Fray will be released in the Christian market: Beliefnet’s Joanne Brokaw reports The Fray will be releasing its next album to both the mainstream and Christian markets, on Feb. 3. It is a bit of an unorthodox move in the current marketplace, where Christian bands are usually driving toward the mainstream. Though The Fray’s debut, How to Save a Life, was a purely mainstream release, the band did catch many Christian music fan’s ears. In a video with the band’s single, lead singer Isaac Slade reportedly says this is how the group wants to release its music for the remainder of its career.