Darkness / Fire / Dancing

Fiskum's songs on "Darkness / Fire / Dancing" are worth listening to more than once, if only to hear the stories and meaning in their lyrics. Another thing that is nice about the album is that it is relatively easy to find which song one is currently listening to just by looking at the titles and hearing the lyrics.

On other albums, some song titles can be obscure in relation to the lyrics. That is not the case with "Darkness / Fire / Dancing," however, where many of the song titles are repeated in the lyrics, notably "Borderline," "Heaven in Your Baby's Arms," "Earth Is Now Your Mother" and "A Distant Star."

Fiskum's vocals give a sorrowful tone to the album, but generally, his work may be different from anything else you've heard before. The opening track title, "Tom Wait's Bar and Grill," apparently pays tribute to one of Fiskum's favorite artists. Other singer/songwriters that have influenced Fiskum's music are Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young.

With a number of performers and musicians having recorded with Fiskum on his album, "Darkness / Fire / Dancing" is a good collaborative effort that engages the ears and the mind.