Search - Frank Christian :: Mister So & So

Closer to the truth . . .

08/25/1998

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Frank Christian has been making music in the NY Metropolitan area for close to thirty years. He has traveled the world and has played for audiences in Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Germany, Norway, and other European countries, as well as playing all over the United States. This, his third release, comes close to capturing the spirit of those performances. There are representative originals as well as covers of music that make up the essence of Frank Christian. Songs like Tom Rush's "No Regrets" and Gordon Lightfoot's "Did She Mention My Name" will transport the oldest Frank Christian fans back to nights in the coffee houses of Newark, NJ and it's surrounding communities. "Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor" and "Statesboro Blues" are indicative of Frank's way with classic blues tunes of the great bluesmen while Brel's "Port of Amsterdam" and the torch song classic "Making Whoopie" effectively display Frank's vocal abilities, though not quite up to his live performances. Couched in this array of cover songs are a handful of originals, of which Mr. Christian's "Time Takes a Twist" is certainly the standout. This is a very listenable album. Fans will enjoy the intimate 45 or 50 minutes they get to spend with Frank on this release. Listeners new to Frank Christian will enjoy the wide pallet of music Frank offers up. The only critical comment I can offer is that the production may have an unnecessary patina. While the production team of Jeff Berman and Matt Balitsaris put a nice shine on Frank's previous Palmetto release,"From My Hands", I would have preferred a gruffer treatment of the music on this CD."