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Piers Faccini
“Two Grains of Sand”
Playing at: Zebulon (258 Wythe Ave., Williamsburg)
Get: Tickets (Free) | Directions

What exactly does the term “folk singer” mean in the globalized 21st century? Piers Faccini, an English-Italian songwriter raised in France, may have a large swath of Europe in his genes, but his music casts an even wider net. The folk songs that fill his 2009 album Two Grains of Sand are seasoned with West African kora playing, Indian harmoniums, fiddles and cellos. However, Faccini isn’t doing the gag-worthy “world fusion” you might expect from such grab-bag orchestration. Global sounds tastefully provide texture to music that is first and foremost about solid songwriting, understated guitar work, and Faccini’s smoky drawl. This song, the title track from the album, is perhaps the least worldy of them, but perhaps the most beautiful as well, its quiet sweetness evocative of the Cevennes’ mountains in Southern France where Faccini lives. Faccini is taking advantage of his time in New York to play a three-week residency at the Living Room and a date at Barbes, aside from the Zebulon show.