Ad Frank's Mr. Fancypants is a great discovery for fans of British-influenced pop music. The former member of Permafrost hits the mark on his second solo CD, even if it is hard to categorize outside the '80's-Brit-pop influence' handle. Is it cabaret with a pop edge, or pop with a cabaret edge? Neither description does it justice. There are ever-so-slight shades of Burt Bacharach-like samba swaying ('Bay of Fundy') and the kind of synth/keyboard noodlings so familiar from past bands like the Fixx or A Flock of Seagulls ('The Ticket Was Non-Refundable'). That's not to say anything about this album sounds dated or old-to the contrary, it all smacks of a freshness and originality not found very much these days, at least on the boring songs topping the charts and being played on radio. The CD kicks off with an amusing but all-too-brief song snippet called 'Last Night Mark Eitzel Saved My Life,' the title of which should win an award for it's brilliance and chutzpah if nothing else. The amusingly-titled 'Barking Up The Wrong Girl' features sad, minor-keyed strings a la The Beatles' 'She's Leaving Home,' and the reflective 'I Have Seen The Moment Of My Greatness Flicker' recalls the sound of early David Bowie on his very first album, which was itself compared to cabaret legends like Jacques Brel or the great British actor/composer/performer Anthony Newly. Frank has a real knack for writing clever lyrics that seem to be self-deprecating and humorous while at the same time speak of heartbreak and love lost. The songs are listenable and sway-able, the words easy to discern, and the music just powerful enough to lift you up and spin you around before gently placing you back on the ground. This album is soooo cool. - Judee Gould (highbias.com)
Ad Frank's Mr. Fancypants is a great discovery for fans of British-influenced pop music. The former member of Permafrost hits the mark on his second solo CD, even if it is hard to categorize outside the '80's-Brit-pop influence' handle. Is it cabaret with a pop edge, or pop with a cabaret edge? Neither description does it justice. There are ever-so-slight shades of Burt Bacharach-like samba swaying ('Bay of Fundy') and the kind of synth/keyboard noodlings so familiar from past bands like the Fixx or A Flock of Seagulls ('The Ticket Was Non-Refundable'). That's not to say anything about this album sounds dated or old-to the contrary, it all smacks of a freshness and originality not found very much these days, at least on the boring songs topping the charts and being played on radio. The CD kicks off with an amusing but all-too-brief song snippet called 'Last Night Mark Eitzel Saved My Life,' the title of which should win an award for it's brilliance and chutzpah if nothing else. The amusingly-titled 'Barking Up The Wrong Girl' features sad, minor-keyed strings a la The Beatles' 'She's Leaving Home,' and the reflective 'I Have Seen The Moment Of My Greatness Flicker' recalls the sound of early David Bowie on his very first album, which was itself compared to cabaret legends like Jacques Brel or the great British actor/composer/performer Anthony Newly. Frank has a real knack for writing clever lyrics that seem to be self-deprecating and humorous while at the same time speak of heartbreak and love lost. The songs are listenable and sway-able, the words easy to discern, and the music just powerful enough to lift you up and spin you around before gently placing you back on the ground. This album is soooo cool. - Judee Gould (highbias.com)
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