Search - Frank Black :: Honeycomb

Sleep inducing

O'Grady Brian | Stockholm | 08/25/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Oh boy... couldn't agree more with the reviewer that said that he didn't care about the backing musicians or producer..... it seems that people are interested in this record for everything that isn't to do with Frank Black.

Oh well.... listening to this I can see why he decided to re-form the Pixies.... by the way I loved his first two solo albums but the cracks started appearing in the quality control dept already in The Cult of Ray"

A Lone Pixie Is Never Lonely

The Wasp | Australia | 03/22/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In 2003 Charles Kitteridge Thompson IV's Show Me Your Tears album was a terrific little release, beflecked with country odes to marital woes and some of the best songs of the artist's career. That it was so overlooked stems less from the fact that it was dud album and more due to Thompson's background in one of the most revered alternative acts of all time, The Pixies. Following the demise of said band in the early 1990s, Charles `Frank Black' Thompson's subsequent decade as a solo artist was consistently measured against his years in The Pixies, with interviews never failing to question the possible return of the indomitable quartet.

Last year Pixies fans finally saw the band return to the live arena with US and European dates, however the reunion hasn't dampened Frank Black's enthusiasm for releasing his own material. More MOR rock than the country flavours of Show Me Your Tears, Honeycomb finds Black encroaching on the territory of everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Chris Rea. If Show Me Your Tears was his break-up album, Honeycomb finds Black still rueing over the fallout, with the rambling, drunken keyboards of Another Velvet Nightmare backing up a lyrics dealing with thoughts of the ex copping off with another man.

As with previous Black solo material, minimal production on most of these songs reveals the singer's clean yet subdued vocals backed by an often sprightly guitar. While tunes such as Dark End Of The Street sound like a meld of early 1970s Neil Young and Van Morrison (even the title is redolent of such a link), there's still a taste of Black's quirky lyric on Song Of The Shrimp, where talking crustaceans take the spotlight for the cover of the track once recorded by Elvis Presley. Although Honeycomb finds Frank earning a helping hand from Booker T & The MG's guitarist Steve Cropper, it is Black's wife Jean who helps out on vocals for Honeycomb's finest track, Strange Goodbye.

Settle down Pixies fans, you're getting a new album next year from the acclaimed quartet. For now, this DIY production from Frank is a perfect stop-gap that offers far more interest than the dull brown album cover would have you believe."

A Different Perspective

Joseph | 03/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've never listened to the Pixies or Frank Black before stumbling across this album. I think it's great.



Die-hards will probably be upset when I say this, but it sounds like a better version of Jack Johnson mixed with some blues and Bob Dylan. It's a great-sounding and relaxed album with very good quality guitar work throughout. The songs are mellow, but not in a boring way. The highlight for me is the very intricate guitar pieces in between lyrics and the blues-y solos.



This is palatable folk-rock at its finest. I've had a hard time finding anyone who is a music fan that doesn't like the sound of this cd. I'd recommend it to anybody. The only bad thing I have to say about it is that it seems repetitive at times, and I seem to enjoy the first half of the album more than the second half. Plenty of great tunes on here though. Enjoy."