Spin Art
2003
Show Me Your Tears
About This Album
Hearing that Frank Black's Show Me Your Tears is an angry record that was inspired by his work in therapy conjures up visions of pathetically self-absorbed diary rock along the lines of Can I Borrow a Feeling?, the album that The Simpsons' Kirk Van Houten wrote upon divorcing his wife, Louann. Fortunately, such worries are unfounded. While Show Me Your Tears is the most singer/songwriterly album of Black's solo career, it's also an engaging and often funny collection of songs that rivals his most recent creative peak, Dog in the Sand. In fact, this album might even be slightly better; while Dog in the Sand felt driven by its brilliant stylistic turns, Show Me Your Tears is compelling because of its emotional resonance. Musically, the album isn't much different than its predecessors: songs like "Everything Is New," "My Favorite Kiss," and "New House of the Pope" trade in the sunburned Western rock, confessional, countrified pop, and bluesy musing that have formed the foundation of Black's sound for the past four albums. However, they seem to have more substance and feeling invested in them, especially compared to Black Letter Days and Devil's Workshop, which now feel more like clearinghouses for Black's weaker ideas than ever.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9)

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