Dog in the Sand

In theory, there was no reason why Frank Black, a.k.a. Black Francis, shouldn't have carried on making great records after he left the Pixies; after all, he wrote and sang almost all the songs. However, all truly great bands are more than the sum of their parts, and Black's solo career has served largely as a resounding confirmation of this truth. He has had his moments, but has never come close to the towering heights he scaled with his old band. Perhaps by way of grudgingly acknowledging this, Dog in the Sand finds Black re-enlisting Pixies' guitarist Joey Santiago. Santiago, a dazzlingly inventive and versatile player, has been bewilderingly quiet since leaving the Pixies, and seems keen to make up for it here, deploying his formidable range. His contribution to what is certainly Black's best solo album is crucial, from the frenetic power chords of "If It Takes All Night" to the subtle picking of "Robert Onion" to the exuberant solo of "Bullet." Now, if Black can only persuade Kim Deal and David Lowering to come out of retirement as well, he might really be onto something. --Andrew Mueller