Customer Reviews

Show Me Your Tears

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I think there is something to be said for Frank on his journey vs. Frank having reached his destination. I love the earliest Frank Black albums because he is searching high and low and the range shown on those albums is amazing. In subject, form and instrumentation they're a wild ride. Now we've settled in with Frank for a drink and a smoke and I think it's true...this bar, although well loved, can seem a bit overly familiar. I like it, but sometimes I really miss Speedy Marie.

Ironically, since the inception of the Catholics, Frank Black has effectively narrowed his musical scope. He's been maturing (even as his cover art grows increasingly infantine), which thankfully in this case generally means he's becoming more confident, not less interesting. It may just be because he's exercising more selectivity about what he releases, but the new album is a few shades more solid than the generous duology that came out around this time last year. Tears, which offers the same bar band rock Black has been churning out for years, is perhaps more akin to the poppy bluster of Devil's Workshop than the twangier Black Letter Days (though both tacks are evident), but the most successful cuts here are those which take their strongest stylistic cues from the blues, such as the opening 12-bar strut of "Nadine," which is pure barroom bravado and Jagger swagger. Elsewhere, as the title suggests, things get more melancholy, even downright poignant (the simple "Coastline"), but overall it's a sense Black's gritty, sometimes menacing, and slightly surreal machismo (often more evident in his guitar solos than his lyrics) that infuses this album and makes it so subtly intoxicating.

While there are hints of Frank Black & The Catholics more recent works: Dog In The Sand, Black Letter Days, etc. on S.M.Y.T. an edgier feel prevails throughout the record, and while most of the songs reflect the title's broken-hearted theme, every track unwinds with conviction. This album travels a path few records ever go. S.M.Y.T. is as good as anything FB has done to date, a great record indeed...

i was lucky enough to receive a copy of "show me your tears" a few months ago as i write CD reviews for magazines and was blown away. as a casual pixies fan, i always respected the band and his songwriting, but this one caught me by surprise. a brilliant collection of rock, blues, country-tinged tunes from start to finish. i brought to the CD on a weekend vacation where i shared a house with 12 people. the CD never left the player, even though the house was full of music-heads who all brought their collections, trying to out-do each other. by day three, all 12 house guests were singing and humming along to every song. trust me, i have the honor of being able to hear MANY CDs and this is one of the best i've heard. period.

Ive really hated most of Frank Black's solo stuff. I sold my first Frank Black album, I don't get the excitement over "Teenager of the Year" which just sounded like bad, generic college-radio music to me, though perhaps I'll give it another listen
That said, this is the only Frank Black solo album that I've liked well enough to play and replay. Here and there it reminds me of the Cramps and the songs sound influenced by Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Neil Young, and Lou Reed (The Snake), while hanging on to some of Frank Black's signature elements (like the little "ahh ahh" chorus in "This Old Heartache" and the spacey guitars) This is much more serious song-writing than a lot of stuff that he's been putting out.

Frank Black wants you to know that this album was recorded live on two tracks. It says so in the CD booklet. Most of today's music is recorded to at least 24 tracks, with lots of overdubbing. But Frank Black and the Catholics have these songs down. They play like they know what they're doing. It helps that each song is catchy but a little quirky, like some of Bob Dylan's up-tempo stuff --- deceptively simple, with a bit of complexity underneath. That allows each listener to "discover" the album on their own.

If you don't like this album the first or second time, just stick with it. The first time I heard it, I started to come up with a plan to return it. But I kept going and now I can't get it out of the CD player.

And Frank Black is really underrated as a vocalist. His voice seems average at first, but then you notice how he shouts or breaks into a falsetto at just the right moment. On "Manitoba," he sings like he's tired. On "The Snake," he growls just a bit. He's not a show-off singer, but he could be. He reminds me of Tom Waits --- he'll never win on American Idol because he doesn't have range, but he sings beautifully anyway. He's a resourceful singer.

This album is so good, it made me go back for more Frank Black. I quit buying his stuff after The Cult of Ray. Then I realized I've been missing out. He has five or six albums between that one and this one. I need more Frank Black --- recorded live to two tracks! With songs and a band that are this good, high-tech production will just get in the way.

This is as good as rock and roll gets. Not a rough edge to be found as Frank chisels this one down to smooth listening perfection. Enough said.

Buy it. Listen to it. Praise a higher power for allowing you the priviledge to hear this exquisite art. Caress it. Stick it under your pillow at night so that you and the disc might never part.

Love it.

Whether you're a pixies fan or not - if you love good music, you'll love this CD. EVERY song on this album is amazing and will have you singing along by the third listen. Check out "Massif Centrale" Jaida Bleus" and "Horrible Day"

I abandonded Frank Black years ago, primarily since I considered his first 3 albums genius, and the fourth a piece of crap. I missed every album after this...and the other day decided the Pixie's front-runner deserved another chance, only because the Pixies will always have a special place in my heart. I'm not going to go into a massive, esoteric review here, I'll just say this:

Country meets Surf Twang meets Classic Rock meets Bittersweet emotions from Frank Black. I'm glad to have given him another chance. Yes, the psychadelic rock is gone, but what matters most remains, the genius. Thanks Frank.

This review is going to be quite short; I just want to directly address those people who are wondering if they'll be too disappointed in this album to listen to it more than a few times, those people who really, really want something they'll listen to over and over for a couple of weeks or months even. Okay, here it is: first listen you'll doubt your investment, fifth listen you'll love it.

That's how much of Frank Black's work has been for me really, as it may be for you. In 1995, I got Teenager of the Year for my birthday, I listened the first side of the tape and didn't listen again for 6 months. Then one day I put it on, and wham! I've been confident in post-Pixies Frank Black ever since.

This is an album worth buying definitely. Overall, as compared to other music, I give it a 5 out of 5. As compared to Frank's work overall, I give it a 4 out of 5, Teenager of the Year being a 5/5, and the first catholics album (which I think was self titled) as a 1/5, again for Frank.

Buy and enjoy.