Black Letter Days
"I could make albums all day," boasts the rotund Frank Black in the  cover letter accompanyingBlack Letter Days. He's not kidding. Like  fellow '80s post-punk icons Paul Westerberg and Bob Mould, Black has relaxed his  production values and become ridiculously prolific. Between this album and the  simultaneously releasedDevil's Workshop, he's  pushed out 29 fresh songs, with each session recorded live to a two-track tape  amid minimal fuss. Much of the spark that once made thePixiesone ofKurt Cobain's most  beloved bands has evaporated. But it has been replaced by an efficient,  workmanlike approach that yields the kind of raw, rowdy rockers the Pixies were  turning out in their early days. The pedal-steel-swathed "Valentine and Garuda"  and brusque country rock of "Jet Black River" provide some of the most  satisfying moments of Black's solo years. With a hard-nosed producer and some  serious editing, there's no doubt that Black would have another classic album on  his hands. In the meantime,Black Letter DaysandDevil's Workshopwill do.--Aidin Vaziri