Can You Fly

1	Trying to Tell You I Don't Know 4:23
2	In the New Sunshine 2:44
3	Tearing Down This Place 4:10
4	Remember Me 2:54
5	Wheels 3:17
6	The Lucky One 3:08
7	Can You Fly 4:34
8	Responsible 5:28
9	The Mortician's Daughter 3:55
10	Sincere 4:18
11	Down in Love 3:04
12	California Thing 2:59
13	We Will Shine 4:41

Barnes & Noble

They just don't make 'em like CAN YOU FLY anymore. Kansas-born Freedy Johnston's breakthrough would have been a rare achievement in any era, but in the sound-obsessed early '90s, his collection of great, timeless songs was completely anomalous. Johnston carried his album on his acoustic guitar, an eye for detail and image, and a potently rocking backing band. His sound was a country-tinged take on mid-American roots rock, but his characters and scenes were the stuff of great turn-of-the century American novels. Imagine Sherwood Anderson's WINESBURG, OHIO as written by the best college bar band on Earth and every English major with a tear in her beer. Songs like "Trying To Tell You I Don't Know," the elegantly sad breakup song, "Tearing Down This Place," and the yokel-in-LA anthem "California Thing" are as touching as classic Hank Williams and as intelligent as Randy Newman at his best. Put plainly, CAN YOU FLY is an American classic more Americans need to know about. Jon Dolan

All Music Guide

A giant step forward from his likeable but ragged debut, Freedy Johnston's Can You Fly is a stunningly accomplished and coherent album that recalls the raw lyricism of such quintessentially American writers as Raymond Carver and Richard Hugo. Johnston sold his family's Kansas farm to finance the recording of Can You Fly, a fact that's cited in the record's opening line and reflected in several autobiographical songs about the guilty downside of pursuing a dream. Elsewhere, Johnston creates rich character studies of people who are vaguely aware that their lives have gone awry but aren't sure what to do about it. If Johnston's stories are bleak, however, the delicacy of his melodies and simple, clean production ensure that hearing them is downright exhilarating. Standouts include the wistful gambler's lament "The Lucky One," the tender "Mortician's Daughter," and especially the supernatural-tinged title track. Syd Straw contributes vocals on one track, the lovely duet "Down In Love." Kristi Coulter