This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Most rock stars slow down once the band breaks up, the sales diminish and the years accumulate. If anything, cult hero Frank Black seems to be picking up steam.
Barely a year after issuing two CDs on the same day, the prolific post-Pixie is back with his ninth solo effort. Even better: So far, there’s no sign his brisk pace is leading to diminishing returns. Show Me Your Tears — once again recorded live to two-track — is every bit as edgy, intelligent and compelling as anything Black has issued over the last few years. And perhaps even more varied. These 13 tracks swing boldly from woozy blooz-stomp (Nadine) to strummy pop (My Favorite Kiss) to Stones-meets-CCR roots-rock (Jaina Blues) to tormented torch balladry (New House Of The Pope) to country twang (Horrible Day and Goodbye Lorraine) to bizarro crunch-rock (Massif Centrale) to back-porch roots (Coastline), all in 40 fat-free minutes. (Bonus for locals: The chilly closing waltz Manitoba is a quirky little tale of alienation and isolation in the great white north.) As long as Black can put out albums as consistently strong as Show Me Your Tears, his fans have nothing to cry about.
