Search - Bob Franke :: In This Night

In this night, you will laugh, cry, grow and think

06/25/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a nicely-packed album from a man with a quietly manifesting talent--no glamour for him: it wouldn't fit him well. He has a lovely warm voice, and a spirit which runs through all his songs. I'd certainly call Bob a feminist, as well as a very religious/spiritual man (Episcopal last time I checked). He is at heart, as well as on the surface, an honest man. He writes songs that often have some setting in Scripture or the New Testament, if only as a cultural background (Holy Ground, After the Fall). He seems to be fond of looking behind the masks we all wear at one time or another in our lives (Catfish, Man Behind the Curtain) He has a wry-dry sense of humor, and there is usually (at least one) one silly-content song in each album (Invasion of the Money-Snatchers and I'm A Mainframe, Baby are this album's), to leaven the mix. But beware: as with most satire, Money-Snatchers has its barb. You will also find aw-shucks sweet songs on his albums, and this one has Velveteen Love Song, about the Velveteen Rabbit. I believe it was the SF Ballet which commissioned this song for their ballet. You will often find a bit of whimsy as well, as with The Carter, or Faerie Pie--a story similar to Rip Van Winkle or Tam Lin. A Healing in this Night is a meta-song, stemming from being at Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, which is a wonderful place to meet and hear singer/songwriters. His song Thanksgiving Eve, a contribution to a potluck supper years ago, has been sung or recorded by three different persons with the last name of Rogers (Stan, Garnet & Sally, the first two of whom were brothers), and affects many people very strongly still. In it, he advocates not hoarding or saving love, but spending it until you have no more (until next spiritual-renewal-payday, that is). He often starts off his concerts with Catfish. For some reason, Predictions' subject matter excapes me and I cannot call it ! home, so let me leave it as a surprise for the listener."

Love itself cannot protect us till it acts (omitted above)

06/25/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'd forgotten this song, in the review above. Consulting the Oracle (The Songs of Bob Franke), something that can be done when others are asleep, and playing the album is not okay, I find that Predictions, is a song written in memory of his brother in law. It *will* leave you crying. If you've ever lost someone close to you to a debilitating disease or accident, this will speak to you. If you are going through this process, and you don't know how long it will be until the end, this song will tell you what you can expect.It's a gentle, lyrical farewell. It's a song about letting go of what we thought we knew, and of not letting go of love. Bob's big on not letting go of loving--and so should we all be."