Michael Franks

Deep In Blues

Deep In Blues (Original Mix)

The Cellar Door (Live Washington D.C. '79)

The above thought occurred to me when Como's passing coincided with a recent spell of Michael Franks listening on my part. My first impression of Franks was that, despite his skill at songwriting, he was a bit of a lightweight--I asked myself; "Who says jazz needs its own John Sebastian?" Anyone who has that initial reaction to Franks should do what I did--let him grow on you. It isn't an easy thing to do for rock fans, who are used to the first impression either hitting you or missing you by a mile--we're used to being figuratively smacked upside the head by our entertainers. But this album's a good start--the song you might already know is love song cum geography lesson "Popsicle Toes". Who can argue with the cleverness of a song that says the thing that turns you on the most about your lady is that she has cold feet? Which correspond of course to Tierra del Fuego? Franks' writing style is literate and tongue-in-cheek sexy and his talent for arranging shows the capacity to come up with whatever fits the song, rather than songs that all sound alike except for the lyrics and melody a la Barry Manilow. He can even come up with lyrics for another artist's tune (see "The Dream", based on the Yellowjackets' "Local Hero", found on his "Dragonfly Summer" as well as their live set). The singer-songwriter format is alive and well, and in Franks' case, better than ever. It's just that artists like him go more for staying power than short-term overhype. 


The Best Of Michael Franks: A Backward Glance

A friend introduced me to this album when it was first issued and I've been a Michael Franks fan through thick and thin ever since. His appearance on the jazz scene was a welcome change from the jazz-fusion and disco that was in vogue at the time. Looking back over Franks' successful career, this auspicious debut propelled him toward the pantheon of great jazz musicians in which he resides today..
Now, my musical tastes are pretty eclectic. I listen to lots of music and I own lots of music, and I can tell you that Michael Franks is one of the most literate, articulate song stylists on the musical scene, and that goes for any genre. But if you are already a Franks fan you know that.
Sure, Franks' lyrics are sometimes cringingly cute and playful, witness Eggplant and Popsicle Toes. But they are nearly always clever.
I prefer his more wistful and romantic songs. Art of Tea offers a good sampling of both types. To me, Nightmoves and Mr Blue are a couple of the finest songs written by anyone at any time.
On Art of Tea, producer Tommy LiPuma brought in a great team of session musicians like Joe Sample and Larry Carlton to work with Franks. The result was a blockbuster album with an upper-crust appeal which established him firmly as a sophisticated writer and jazz vocalist. 


The Art Of Tea

The title of this review?? Inspired by the overall feeling of this album. Michael takes his usual poetry and wordplay lyric, his light vocal delivery, hands over arranging and production to John Simon who in turn adds cooing female background vocalists, making "Tiger In The Rain" the first Michael Franks album to feature other singers and tops the arranging off with what could be best described as big band orchestra. The result is beautiful. Michael is in a good mood here, singing about apple trees and guaranteeing satisfaction all the while surrounded by full horn and woodwind sections. One of my favorite tracks is the title track "Tiger In The Rain." The lyric is a tale about an unmarried couple living in the jungle befriending a frightened tiger afraid of thunderstorms, the song was inspired by a painting; it's featured on the album cover. The vibes solo on this song really sets a great mood. This body of work is another one of Michael's singular themes as far as musical arrangement, he doesn't return to this sound at all, another aspect to how this album stands out on it's own.


Tiger In The Rain

The Camera Never Lies

Skin Dive

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Deep In Blues

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