Folk - It's a shame that close to half of modern American marriages end in divorce, and it's a shame few divorces yield a work of art as endearing as The Sparrow And The Crow, William Fitzsimmons' stirring album chronicling his split from his wife.  Unabashedly personal and unflinchingly honest, The Sparrow... spins a dozen tales of love, longing, and loss with titles like "I Don't Feel It Anymore," "They'll Never Take The Good Years," and "If You Would Come Back Home." Like fellow sensitive beardos Ray Lamontagne, Sam Beam (Iron and Wine) and Devendra Banhart, Fitzsimmons has a knack for understated folk arrangements, and his proficiency at a number of warm, wooden instruments adds subtle depth to the deceptively simple songs.

Fitzsimmons' first two albums were self-recorded and self-released, but he nevertheless attracted a considerable fan base thanks to MySpace (some songs are approaching 1 million plays) and the musical tastemakers at Grey's Anatomy, who soundtracked a pivotal scene with "Passion Play" from his debut album Until When We Are Ghosts. The Sparrow And The Crow is Fitzsimmons' first album recorded in a professional studio, but with characteristic restraint he and producer Marshall Altman leave the edges slightly ragged: you can hear breaths being drawn, fingers sliding on banjo and guitar strings, and - if you listen closely - the sound of a heart breaking. Recommended.

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