Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 02/20/2007
At the dawn of the 21st century, Memphis, TN is still one of the last true homes of the
blues, but there's an undeclared war taking place between younger musicians who take the structures and lyrical conceits of traditional
blues and mess them up to create new sounds and traditionalists who respectfully follow the template set by their musical forbearers.
Ron Franklin is a Memphis-based singer and songwriter who seems to have one foot in each camp; he's worked with
Jack Yarber of
the Oblivians and members of
Tav Falco's Panther Burns, but he also has a clear appreciation of old-school
country blues and its cultural roots.
Franklin's album
City Lights often sounds like an effort to bridge the gap between these two schools of thought, with limited success: his acoustic guitar and mandolin work are commendable throughout, his songs are well-crafted, and he's put together a great band for these sessions, anchored by legendary keyboard man
Jim Dickinson. But
Franklin's vocals are his downfall on
City Lights: his frequently wobbly tenor sounds like the work of a guy who deliberately sings flat for effect (which becomes all the more obvious when he pulls out a number where he hits the notes just right), and there are more than a few moments on this album where it's hard to tell if
Franklin is joking or playing it straight. Which is especially annoying since it's clear this guy has the talent to cut a solid modern-day
blues album that avoids clichés in favor of fresh songs and ideas, and hopefully he'll make that record one of these days. In the meantime,
City Lights is an interesting but flawed introduction to an artist who seemingly is still hammering his musical vision into shape.
~Mark Deming, All Music Guide
;)
Listen
