★★★★★
In the five years since his last studio album, trippy troubadour Michael Franks has gained a certain alluring vocal huskiness but lost none of his hazy sangfroid. Much of Time Together unfolds like a global summer travelogue and, fittingly, features a top-drawer assortment of international guests, including German trumpeter Till Brönner, Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo and Russian trumpeter Alex Sipiagin...
- jazztimes.com
2011-08-29
★★★★★
Most people find mice to be a nuisance because they tend to make their presence known at the worst times. They chew through the wires of your electronic devices and they leave droppings on your kitchen counter. But jazz guitarist and singer/songwriter Michael Franks looks at the little buggers and finds inspiration...
- www.soultracks.com
2011-06-27
★★★★★
I don't trust Franks's sambas to drowse by, but when he mentioned that he heard from his ex on the back of his checks he woke me up long enough to make me believe he had some smarts. Quite a lot of smarts, actually. Then I dozed off again.
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-07-10
★★★★★
Michael Franks was the first jazz vocal artist I discovered in the mid '80s. I not only enjoyed his music, I appreciated his warm and inviting vocal style. As I recall, the "Passionfruit" and "Skin Dive" albums were my introduction to "Mr. Smooth." I was pleasantly surprised when The Art of Love, a comprehensive two disc set spanning Franks' career, arrived for review...
- www.jazzreview.com
2009-06-08
★★★★★
Track Listing: Disc One: Eggplant; Popsicle Toes; The Lady Wants to Know; B Personnel: Michael Franks (vocals) with various artists. Style: Vocal These 31 digitally remastered tracks across two CDs span Franks' three-decade career, with something from every one of his Warner Bros. releases plus his Windham Hill album Barefoot on the Beach, performances with the Australian sextet Crossfire and the Yellowjackets, and studio tracks with Joe Sample and Brenda Russell...
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2009-06-05
★★★★★
Michael Franks'Barefoot on the Beachbreaks little new ground - it's another batch of slinky, laidback yet hooky pop-jazz confections with Franks' trademark clever, playful lyrics. (I swear Franks must hold the world record for number of metaphors and euphemisms for lovemaking.) But this is a particularly enjoyable batch - the sunny tunes are particularly bright, the love songs are especially romantic, and the heartbreak songs have a bit more angst...
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2009-06-05
★★★★★
Singer and songwriter Michael Franks' latest release, Barefoot on the Beach, is his first for his new label, Windham Hill Jazz. After 24 successful years with Warner Bros., Franks sees his relationship with Windham Hill as a chance to reinvigorate his music and to stretch his artistic vision. His rediscovered enthusiasm is found throughout the album, which also succeeds in capturing the romantic and playful qualities Franks' fans are accustomed to in his lyrics and sound...
- www.popmatters.com
2008-11-11
★★★★★
Countless musical trends have steamrolled by since this wry singer songwriter with the cool and collected, wistful onionskin voice first graced the adult music world in the mid-'70s with The Art of Tea and its cryptic hit, "Popsicle Toes." Yet Franks has stood his ground, growing as an observational lyricist while his relaxed demeanor stays pretty much the same, and charmingly so...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-27
Loading...
