Few things are ever as simple as they seem, and this intimate little jewel of an album is no exception. What sounds like old-school country turns out to be touched by rockabilly, Buddy Holly-style 50s pop, classic torch, R&B, gospel, and Western swing. Unexpected chords drop into those pretty tunes; guitars of every description are layered thick as birthday cake; and wait, was that a saxophone — a Wurlitzer — a mandocello? “Life of a Fool” has the rhythmic punch of early Johnny Cash, “Deserted Love” paints atmospheric pictures with a shimmering tremolo guitar, and the deliciously Beatlesque melody of “Bad Girl She Used to Be” resonates with love, loneliness, and resignation disguised as hope. “Like Railroad Steel” sets clever lyrics over chugging, bluegrass-inflected guitars: “I’ve got a heart like a railroad steel, keeping perfect time/ Forged to bend and bow/ So it won’t break the same place twice.” Fool for Love poses some seemingly unanswerable questions: how can anyone make music so dense and moody with such a light touch? How can an album this textured sound so simple and unadorned? And why isn’t Paul Burch a household name?