Track Listing

1. Where There's a Road
2. It's Always Raining Somewhere
3. Leave It to a Loser
4. Georgia Hard
5. I'm Gonna Take You Home (And Make You Like Me)
6. Coldwater, Tennessee
7. All You Can Cheat
8. Countrier Than Thou
9. If They Could Only See Me Now
10. I Never Did Like Planes
11. Each Night I Try
12. Doin' Right (For All the Wrong Reasons)
13. You Don't Want What I Have
14. Right on Redd
15. Goodbye, Cruel Girl

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33120 in Music
• Released on: 2005-05-17
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .16 pounds

Amazon.com
Few country songwriters are both smarter and funnier than Robbie Fulks, though his humor has saddled him with a reputation as a purveyor of smart-aleck novelty fare. Except for the hillbilly hokum of "I'm Gonna Take You Home (And Make You Like Me)," he plays it comparatively straight on Georgia Hard, confirming that he's a consummate country craftsman in the process. Amid the generous selection of 15 songs, highlights range from the countrypolitan, string-laden "Leave It to a Loser," on which Fulks channels the soulful sophistication of the late Charlie Rich, to the dance-floor buoyancy of "Each Night I Cry," which sounds closer to Rodney Crowell. A pair of murder ballads, "Coldwater, Tennessee" and "If They Could Only See Me Now," show his mastery of the taut, dark narrative, while fans of his sardonic streak will love "Countrier Than Thou." The musicianship is first-rate throughout, with the instrumental "Right on Redd" showcasing the interplay of guitarist Redd Volkaert with steel guitar legend Lloyd Green. If Nashville decides to return to songs of cheatin', drinkin', and killin', this is an album full of hits just waiting to happen. --Don McLeese

CITY PAPER NASHVILLE
After this decade of self-sabotaging career choices, Fulks seems to be returning to his roots.

USA TODAY
he's a natural borncountry singer who in various guises recalls Buck Owens, Whisperin' Bill Anderson, Freddy Fender and an array of bluegrass tenors.

Customer Reviews

Spectacular Nashville Robbie
I agree with the other reviews-- RF goes to Nashville & channels Roger Miller, Bill Anderson, maybe a little Shel Silverstein, & others. The presence of the fantastic Bergen White directing strings is a part of that. But it's more than just nostalgic-- the songs also ring as contemporary truth. While this may take an adjustment for those used to his harder-edged alternative country, there're still pointed lyrics (check out the Silversteinish "I'm Gonna Take Ya Home"), & some nice veiled (& not so veiled) send ups of curent country & alternative country too. And some really solid songs like "Leave It to Loser" & honky tonk "All You Can Cheat" and most of the others. He does a quiet version of Dallas Wayne's "Coldwater, Tennessee' (RF co-wrote it) which still packs a deadly psychological punch. I think this one features RF's strongest singing--in the past for me a little bit of a minus point. Great album IMO, yet another dimention to one of the most talented 'alt. country' artists.

Fabulous record evokes late 60s/early 70s country
Fulks returns to his country roots with perhaps his best effort yet, a wonderful 15-song set that summons the spirits of Johnny Paycheck, Roger Miller, Merle Haggard, and other heroes of popular country 's most recent era of great artistry. There's plenty of Fulks' trademark cheeky wit here, with "I'm Gonna Take You Home and Make You Like Me," "Goodbye Cruel Girl," and "Countrier Than Thou" among the disc's highlights. The humor is supplemented by some of Fulks' finest efforts at serious songwriting, including the title track and "Leave it to a Loser." On both, Fulks drops the comfortable guard of irony and places his faith in the strength of the songs and his ability to deliver them. The results are spectacular.

If country radio sounded anything like this album, the world would be a much, much better place.

Best Country Album of 2005
Mainstream Nashville is just beginning to regain credibility while learning to reconcile the 70's "Outlaw Movement" and Chet Atkin's "Nashville Sound" with bluegrass and honky-tonk roots. While it's good news on the whole, this has only come in spurts from several different artists. On "Georgia Hard" Robbie Fulks delivers the full spectrum in one incredible album. For long-time Fulks fans, this is the album you always knew he had in him: funny, smart, dark, beautiful, and honest. There have been some great albums released this year--"Georgia Hard" leaves them all in the dust.