Customer Reviews

Barefoot on the Beach

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Barefoot on the Beach, the latest release by Michael Franks is sure to be one of the best loved by his fans. Franks continues to grow as an artist and explore new avenues of jazz. With this release , he climbes gracefully into a sound that can be best described as 'traditionally smooth.' All of these new cuts combine very rich melodies of piano, vibes, and a terrific horn section. His new songs seem to embrace the more quiet and meaningful lyrics of albums past, with a more smooth sound. Not to dissapoint though, he still adds a few cuts that remind us of his earlier work-less instrumentation, and more vocal. His wonderful voice shines through!! A real please and a must for any M.F. fan.

for michael franks fans the newest release "Barefoot on the Beach" is like another wonderful visit from a family member with whom you'd like to spend more time.his lyrics consistently weave in out of a mucial web which continues to be spun by a who's who of contemporary jazz musicians.a case in point is the title track.after a short intro...the first few words...instantly its a franks connection.the long time franks listeners already feel familiar with the pilot and the vehicle..wanting to ride wherever the smooth ride is going. track three includes a beautiful duet with valerie simpson (of ashford and simpson).once again franks goes with an interseting choice of voice and the outcome is soothing...two voices distinctive yet in the chorus blend as one.(you may know that franks has also recorded duets with brenda russell, and peggy lee! long time franks fans (i'm one)will hear hints of musical references to some of his past work. but there is a freshness of application in each case.he continues to seduce his listeners to take journeys with him...regardless of how intimate or sarcastically light-hearted.and, with the end of each selection the traveler wants to be taken on the next excursion. with his new (and highly respected) label, franks would be well served to add a few more dates to his existing tour schedule.that will serve a two fold purpose. first,show the new label the continuous and incredible base of fan support.and secondly,reunite fans with a musical icon with whom we've grown over the years.

THIS CD IS A MUST HAVE FOR TRUE MICHAEL FRANKS FANS HE IS AS SMOOTH AND SILKY AS EVER THE TRACK(EVERY TIME SHE WHISPERS)IS MY FAVORITE AND MUST BE LISTENED TO WITH HEADPHONES.BUY THIS CD!!!

"Barefoot On The Beach" is a solid Michael Franks CD. It dosen't rise to the brilliance of "Dragonfly Summer", "Passionfruit" or "Blue Pacific". Highlights are "Now Love Has No End", "When You Smiled At Me" and the brilliant "Every Time She Whispers".

You will notice that Mr. Franks is no longer with Warner Bros, now he's with Windham Hill. I expect to hear even more creative freedom in Michael's music. "Barefoot On The Beach" is a good trip, but we've been here before.

We have waited a few years for another album from Michael since we wore out Blue Pacific. The title captures in sound what Southwest Florida "is". Although it is not as "commercial" as the Smooth Jazzers might like, this album is musically tight as it is vocally creative. Each song is like listening to another story or chapter in his musical life. Pop it into the car cd, put the top down and go cruising into the night! You'll wonder where you are and where the time went! Not a bad way to go!

Jeff Edwards

"Barefoot on the Beach" is just what we needed from Mr Franks. I don't want to hear all the nonsense that all his stuff sounds the same; don't most artists??That is why most of us continue to buy his music. Leave him alone. It is vintage and smooth, kool like an ocean breeze. I feel that it is his best since "Blue Pacific". He can count on me to keep adding to his bank account every few years.

New movies from George Lucas and Mike Myers, and a new CD from Michael Franks? The summer of 1999 is starting out better than any that I can remember for quite some time. "Barefoot On The Beach" is as good as any of Mr. Franks previous efforts except maybe my favorite, "The Art Of Tea". In his latest effort, almost every track seems to have enough "hooks" to snare him at least heavy rotation on the smooth jazz stations, especially my three favoites, "Mr. Smooth", "Barefoot On The Beach", and "The Fountain Of Youth". I have waited a long time for a new release from Franks and his usual strong band of musicians, and could not be more happy with this latest effort. It is impossible to sit in "my Benz" and not play this CD over and over like a mental patient. Buy it! play it! enjoy it!

Michael Frank's new release doesn't disappoint but there is no denying that there is a similarity in all of his vocal stylings (though I never tire of his wordsmithing talents). This isn't a bad thing because it makes you pay attention to more subtle things that he has incorporated into the arrangements, eg: Dave Samuels' vibes are wonderful (reminiscent of Mike Mainieri's work on "Tiger in the Rain"), Randy Brecker's muted trumpet on my personal favourite "A walk in the rain" makes me visualize the scenes, listen to Steve Khan and Chuck Loeb segue their guitar work between Wes Montgomery-ish stylings and rock-tinged stylings on "The fountain of youth" and "Every time she whispers", respectively, even MF's vocal scat on "mr. Smooth" is new and fun. Frank's ability to cross-over between jazz and pop stylings has always been something I've enjoyed and he repeats it here effectively. On "the moon behind a cloud", I found myself wondering what it would sound like if Mark Knopfler had done the lead guitar work... While the album won't replace my personal favourites - The Art of Tea, Blue PAcific and Dragonfly Summer, it is still well worth a listen... and then a few more listens.

Listened last night to Franks new album and was pleasantly surprised to hear the great content. Lots of rich, mellow jazz tunes with the usual terrific vocals. Valerie Simpson singing is a bonus. About 58 minutes of great music..one song leads easily to another. If you like Michael Franks, then this is a must buy.

I first heard Michael Franks in the '70s while I was a college student. He's one of those artist with a good style, but his albums (CDs now) were the kind with one or two good compositions with the rest being unmemorable. However, this latest effort by him has numerous memorable compositions, in fact, so many that I think this is the best Michael Franks to date. The recording is excellent, and while Michael Franks is borrowing from old material, it still sounds refreshingly new. Get this CD.