Ten Percenter
- FB Enquirer -
United Kingdom
1733 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2003 : 00:27:46
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On www.boston.com:
Frank Black and the Catholics: Show Me Your Tears By Sarah Tomlinson, Globe Correspondent, 9/12/2003
Frank Black is as persnickety as he is prolific. Not content to write an album of countrified rock songs with equal charm and bite for his ninth solo release, "Show Me Your Tears," he also suggests the best way to appreciate them. Drink plenty of Scotch and red wine to wash down the heartache. But while Black may be melancholy, he sounds relaxed and fully in his element on the album, produced in part by indie-rock virtuoso Stan Ridgway. Joined by familiar Catholics drummer Scott Boutier, bassist David McCaffrey, and David Phillips and Rich Gilbert on guitar and pedal steel, he creates a multi-layered sound brimming with piano, banjo, saxophone, and trumpet that never sounds showy. Album opener "Nadine" has a low, tumbling rhythm, over which Black croons a dark come-on. On "Everything Is New" Black alternates a melodic falsetto with saltier vocals that evoke Tom Petty over twinkling piano and guitar. The bass line on "Massif Centrale" has a slow rumble that momentarily recalls Black's days with the Pixies. Once again, Black proves he can be counted on to turn new influences -- including Los Angeles, where he recorded this album, and his recent experiences with therapy and romantic disappointment -- into vital music with that same old fire.
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