Guess what? No film
recommendations today. Maybe tomorrow. Anyway, if you remember,
on Monday I proclaimed that Mono In VCF were going to one day be very well
known in the music scene. Usually, artists that bowl me over so easily
are very few and far between, but today I have another soon-to-be star in
Robert Francis. I first heard of the guy a few weeks ago when I was
sent some samples of his work and, while I was instantly impressed with his
sound, I was blown away by the fact that at 19 he produced his debut, One
By One, and played just about every instrument imaginable in the
process. Though, I bet I would be pretty good too if I started playing
music at age 9 and then spent some time training with John Frusciante.
Yeah, probably not. Enjoy.
:Robert
Francis - Little Girl:
Robert doesn't really bother with anything too fancy here, but that isn't to
necessarily say the arrangement is lacking of anything worth noting, as
there are some nice details that add to the atmosphere. It's just that
the main emphasis is all on the songwriting, which is mostly one giant tale
of heartbreak. Of course, you should know that by heartbreak I do mean
depression-inducing. I don't know what happened to Robert, but even I
feel a little down with he sings: "I can't seem to do anything right
anymore." Bummer.
:Robert
Francis - One By One:
This is easily one of my favorite songs of 2007. Unlike the track
above, where you're sort of forced to pay attention to the lyrics because of
how pronounced they are, the songwriting actually takes a back seat to a
beautiful arrangement that's full of sweeping violins and twangy banjo.
There's also some fantastic harmony provided by Juliette Commagere, who in
addition to being his sister is the singer of L.A.'s Hello Stranger.
If you've been looking for a reason to love singer/songwriters again, Robert
is it.
-
John Laird -
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