Sage Francis has had a pretty interesting career so far, with a background that ties him to anticon. and spoken word/slam poetry circles. With the release of the Non-Prophets record, it seemed for a hot minute like he might go a more traditional hip hop route, but that didn’t last at all. It wasn’t that long after that he was collaborating with the likes of Will Oldham to create a unique indie-folk/hip hop hybrid.

On Li(f)e, Francis continues along this path, collaborating with the likes of Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Joey Burns (Calexico), Tim Rutili (Califone), Yann Tiersen, and the late Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse). It’s an interesting sound, and it might require adjustments if you’ve never listened to Francis before. If I didn’t know much about these artists, and you just described an album to me as an indie-folk/hip hop hybrid, I’d probably run for the hills.

That said, this is an album that deserves a chance. It doesn’t sound like much else out there right now. You can definitely hear the collaborative effort occurring on each song. A balance is struck between Francis’s gravely yet melodic slam poet delivery and musicians who tend to work in a slowly developing musical space. There are a few moments when I pause and wonder if Francis is being just too pretentious with his lyrics, but I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt. Ultimately, I think I like lines like, “When I came out my momma I was zero.” It’s not the case on every single song, but for many songs Francis takes on the role of storyteller, telling a tale like that of “Little Houdini” or the couple in “The Baby Stays.”

I know this album’s strange approach may alienate some. But for those with a little patience and the desire to try something new, I think this album will reward with repeated listens.