One year after releasing the stellar, and very Bob Dylan-influenced, Honeycomb, Frank Black will release a two-CD set titled Fastman/Raiderman (Back Porch-EMI) on June 20. It sounds like this album comes from the same ilk as the last one—Black paired against studio greats—but because some of these 27 songs were recorded in Los Angeles and some in Nashville over a span of two years, we’re expecting a looser affair, in a good way. For this one, the Pixie worked with Al Kooper, the Band’s Levon Helm, Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson, Bad Company’s Simon Kirk, as well as Spooner Oldham and a few others from the Honeycomb sessions. Although some of those songs are leftovers from that album—songs that seemed too hard-driving for a Nashville record—Black has included some more timely songs as well. On "My Terrible Ways," he ventures into Springsteen territory as he tackles the social side of helping out after Hurricane Katrina. Other confirmed song titles include: "Kiss My Ring," "Dog Sleep," "In The Time Of My Ruin," "Highway To Lowdown," "Sad Man's Song," "Where The Wind Is Going," "Fitzgerald," "Elijah" and "Raiderman." Black plans on taking these songs on the road after a European summer tour with Pixies. www.frankblack.net (Frank Black fan site)
