Robbie Fulks: The Very Best Of Robbie Fulks

Don't be fooled by the title: The Very Best Of Robbie Fulks collects odds, ends, rarities, compilation contributions, and unreleased tracks while ignoring Fulks' studio albums. But don't be put off by the joke, either: There's plenty of great stuff here. Marking Fulks' return from an ill-fated stretch in the majors, which saw the release the disappointing Let's Kill Saturday Night, The Very Best Of… finds him reclaiming his unusual position as alt-rock's foremost traditionalist as well as its foremost ironist. It's a welcome return for a singer-songwriter equally conversant in the music of country's golden age and the savage wit of Elvis Costello and Randy Newman. Opening with Fulks' 1992 single "Jean Arthur," a tribute to one of Frank Capra's favorite actresses, the album also includes a feuding-couple duet with Kelly Willis ("Parallel Bars"), a mash note to Susanna Hoffs ("That Bangle Girl"), a knowingly offensive if still off-putting jungle fantasy ("White Man's Bourbon"), and an anti-hipster screed ("Roots Rock Weirdos"). Newcomers might be better off picking up either of Fulks' previous Bloodshot releases, but even if it doesn't live up to its title, The Very Best Of Robbie Fulks serves as a fine sampling of what he has to offer, which happens to be some of the most exciting, acidic country music made today. Those already familiar with Fulks, particularly those dissatisfied with Let's Kill Saturday Night, would do well to pick it up, too, particularly when the chance of finding some of the sources listed in the liner notes (Geffen's Catch A Falling Star, the Bloodshot compilation Nashville, We Will Slice Your Putrid Cunt To Ribbons: Insurgent Country Vol. 6) seems pretty slim.