Courtney Fairchild
11 Chances
Stanley Recordings
By Al Kaufman
In 2006, Courtney Fairchild divorced her husband, left her friends, and moved from her hometown of Dallas, Texas to Philadelphia, Penn. The result was her 2007 album, Quit. The following summer, sequestered in her friend's guest house with huge amounts of bourbon and a high fever, she realized she still had not exorcised all her demons and 11 Chances was born.
Opening track "London" was most definitely written while her fever burned. With her smoky alto, she sings from the boyfriend's perspective of a girl leaving for London because of something that has to do with microchips and celluloid. It's a bit convoluted, but in the end, what's really important is that the boy doesn't care.
The rest of the CD has the same themes. Tired people suffer through relationships gone bad and ask questions like, "Why am I all alone now?" or spit venom at exes, like in "Ginsberg," where the jilted girl offers a toast to her boyfriend "For every line you over-thought/And every poet you ripped off."
But they're pretty songs. Producer John Would adds some nice sonic touches, and the full band (The Stone Hand Tortillas) is able to flesh out Fairchild's personal poetry. Fairchild's rich vocals, which often sound like those of a sensitive young guy as often as a they do a sultry lounge singer, always offer something interesting. This is some of the prettiest slit your wrist music ever made.
Courtney Fairchild plays with Heather Luttrell in the Atlanta Room of Smith's Olde Bar on Saturday 25. $10. 9 pm.
