By Jim Jacka

“I think, personally, that this would sound real nice in a car commercial or something. Or maybe something for maxi pads,” proclaims Tim Fite on the outro of “Sing Along”, the penultimate song on the 16-track Fair Ain’t Fair.

Naturally Fite feels it necessary to poke fun at the song’s pop sensibilities. After all, the musician has clearly established himself amongst the musically ADD set, never able to sit still for more than a second, and completely averse to recording a completely pleasant song without an invasive sliver of digital fuckery.

But like “No Good Here” from his last record Gone Ain’t Gone, the track proves that as much as Fite thrives among sound collage, he’s at his songwriting best when working in a more traditional structure. There are other highlights on Fair Ain’t Fair of course, but like “Sing Along”, they generally occur when Fite settles down long enough to flesh out one of his ideas.