This mini-album is destined to be compared with Sufjan Stevens' marvellous Carrie & Lowell. Both are highly personal works written in memoriam of a loved one; Stevens' songs are dedicated to his late mother while Fitzsimmons' are written in honour of his grandmother, Virginia, who passed away on October 15th, 2014.
As well as sharing closely related themes, there are striking similarities in the hushed, slightly breathy, vocal delivery and in the simplicity of the arrangements. For Fitzsimmons, an acoustic guitar is really all the accompaniment he needs, but strings and piano also flesh out the tunes very tastefully
As a trained mental health therapist, Fitzsimmons' gentle songs seem tailored to impart plenty of healing energy. After five full length albums, this seven-track collection is described as his most personal to date although texture-wise it closely adheres to tender, intimate and touching qualities of his previous releases.
Perhaps where Pittsburgh differs is that the subject is a little more specific in that it directly relates to the steel city he grew up in and where his grandmother lived her whole life.
As with Sufjan Stevens' songs for Carrie, there is similar sense of these being a form of conversation with a person now beyond hearing. "I watch you go into the dark where I cannot follow anymore" he sings on Beacon.
The final song,Ghosts Of Penn Hills, perhaps best encapsulates the deep sense of loss together with the feelings of gratitude for a life lived. "I hope that it's true that we'll meet again" may be a little on the mawkish side but for the most part these songs are touching without being gratuitously sentimental.
