Paley & Francis

It's safe to say that only the most delusional Pixies fans are holding out any hope that group will record new music, so they'll once again have to settle for another offering from Black Francis/Frank Black's ever-unpredictable solo persona. This first full-on collaboration with frequent songwriting/touring partner Reid Paley won't be enough to satisfy those fans and on the whole, this simple, predominantly acoustic-based collection recorded over three days in Nashville in between Pixies shows hardly rises above demo-quality despite the presence of legendary session players Spooner Oldham and David Hood. Some of the familiar Francis snarl is apparent on tracks like opener "Curse," and Paley shines elsewhere on "Ugly Life," but there's not much to chew on with these songs, many of which clearly betray the fact that they were written and produced almost totally off the cuff. If these guys wanted to make a true Nashville album, they certainly could, but until that happens, Paley & Francis shows that Black Francis remains on autopilot.