Album Reviews

If Tim Fite's goal is to be the topic of passionate debaters trying to figure out whether he’s a genius or a lunatic, then Fair Ain't Fair should be considered mission accomplished. The album begins with "Roots of a Tree," an ominous, see-sawing piano riff that builds until layers of Fite's vocals bark overtop one another. And while you're stuck trying to figure out what’s happening, the album moves on without you.

The rest of Fair Ain't Fair continues on a similar vein, and layers and layers of evidence for listeners to pick through, no matter which side of the debate you’re on. Whether you are trying to decipher the whispers in the background of "The Names of all the Animals," or simply trying to maintain your balance during "The Barber," Fite leaves you no shortage of things to think about.

What perhaps is most unsettling is when Fite steps away from the odd, Tom Waits-inspired sound—that peppers the majority of the album—and injects a sweet little acoustic ditty. "One Big Mistake" and "Sing Along" both creep awfully close to Jack Johnson's syrupiness, but given the context are so out of place as to wonder... what was he thinking?

The best part about Fair Ain't Fair is that the genius-versus-lunatic dynamic is never resolved. Tim Fite may be both, or he may be neither, but he's created the aural equivalent of train wreck whose tragic beauty is nearly impossible to look away from.

—Nathan Atnikov
05.19.08