Barefoot on the Beach
Countless musical trends have steamrolled by since the mid '70s when this wry singer-songwriter first graced the adult-music world with his cryptic hit, "Popsicle Toes." Since then, Franks has stood his ground. On Barefoot on the Beach, he remains charmingly cool and collected; his voice, still wistful and onionskinned. And he has continued to grow as an observational lyricist.Franks just doesn't buy into the top-40 school of "hook or forget it" songwriting. He's more interested in weaving quirky, esoteric images over solid grooves. (His backing music - Bob James, Dave Samuels, Chuck Loeb, Bob Mintzer - varies between classic, subtly brassy Steely Dan and colorful smooth-jazz vibes.) "You could jump a DC-8 and probably be here by eight" sets the tone for the frolic of the title track. Everything is fair game, from references to Ingrid Bergman and Rhett Butler on "Heart Like an Open Book" to congratulating Ponce de Leon for the youthful drive of his lover on "The Fountain of Youth."He's quite the humorist, too. On "Double Talk," he tells a cheating mate, "Each time you lie, your profile grows... it looks just like Pinocchio's." "Mr. Smooth" is a crisp commentary on a stuck-up man. But even when Franks is expressing displeasure, his heart is light. He covers all the aspects of love from the supreme joy of "Now Love Has No End" to "Why Spring Ain't Here," but the minute he starts to boil over, he's back to the beach, having a blast. This is the kind of spring-in-your-step music Franks fashioned his career upon.--- Jonathan Widran, JAZZIZ MagazineCopyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.--From Jazziz