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Memphis by way of Arkansas' Ron Franklin is another late addition to DBF. Franklin's sound inhabits the creme of america's musical history borrowing sounds from Buddy Holly, Chuck B., Jimmie Rodgers, the boys from Memphis and the hills beyond and that boy from the North Country. And like that boy, Franklin has absorbed the old sounds of the old masters and reworked them into service of his own new sounds. A singer/songwriter of the first degree who plays live armed only with harp and a telecaster and The Deep Blues Festival is delighted to have him. You will be too. - Rick Saunders / Deep Blues Blog Last Crawdaddy! heard from Ron Franklin he was recording the follow-up to his debut solo album, the garage roots City Lights, anticipating it would be more garage, less roots, and feature a drummer. In the end, Franklin's self-titled second commercial solo release is actually all that (but without the drummer). Recorded for Alive (the label where Two Gallants and the Black Keys made their debuts), the absence of a band or a second body just keeping time is hardly a detriment to his sound; one reviewer found it so compelling he even referred to "percussion" on the new tracks! Franklin's armorless one-guy-on-vulnerable-vocals-precision-guitar-and-fine-tuned-vintage-equipment approach does indeed project a full sound, contributing to his songs' immediacy, intimacy, and intrigue. But it's the mysterious power of their words that draw me further into Franklin's daydreamy orbit of old world imagery and its adjacency to modern expression-the kind of place where goth girls hang out at the old-time picture show. Coming on blustery with the electric "Western Movies", he pulls back with the fingerpicked acoustic "Call It a Night", then amps up and grunges out with "Dark Night Cold Ground" (the kind of tale from the underbelly of life that the Cramps might lay waste to, in a good way). "The Elocutionist" conjures medicine shows and some famous fairytales as it rides on the rhythm of Franklin's electric. "All Along a Summer's Day" is probably the bluesiest thing here, a stay-on-the-chord, boogie drone, with a tight narrative about temptation. Though seemingly death-obsessed ("Do Not Wait 'Til I am Laid 'Neath the Clay" is among the many references to graveyards and the like), Franklin is hardly a death-rocker. Rather, he is full of life, like one of his heroes, Jimmie Rodgers, whose yodel he tries on "Do Not Wait..." and whose image he conjures in "Dear, Marianne", a poetic epic of our times torn asunder. I am in awe of this elegiac version of "Marianne" just as I was the first time I heard it (live, as well as on one of Franklin's handmade recordings). But as I attempt to collect my jaw from the floor, Franklin knocks me out with a simple acoustic ballad of love and repentance, "That's Just the Love I Have 4U", which has me nearly laid out in lavender. Franklin's theme songs of cars and women derive their greatest feelings from the combination of familiar song fragments and characters he grafts on to his personal brand of heartache. Universal concepts like "ain't got no home" and "in the pines" as well as Franklin's own "see me in the darkness of my daytime" are straightforward enough, but pondering the meaning of his more psychedelic images like "Tell Jimmy James I hear them coming / I got his back if he do as much for me," has kept me happily occupied for weeks. Occasionally, Franklin lets his humor fly but his juxtapositions of the lingua franca of the times combined with his deep roots and picaresque references to the bygone era are what keep me coming back for more. I think it's the audacity of his approach that I like-yes, audacity just might be Ron Franklin's secret weapon. - Denise Sullivan / Crawdaddy! “...She’s not the type to hang around Natchez long, you understand- she’ll be bringing biscuits to somebody clear over in Bossier City before she’s done. Hell, you get the idea . Like Jeff Evans would say, I don’t have to draw you a picture.” On many occasions, it is best to let an artist speak for himself. The above passage is not from a Ron Franklin song but rather the liner notes of the Marion, Arkansas native’s latest, eponymous effort (Alive). To say that Franklin’s somewhat disembodied blues are populated by rag tag characters doing unexpected things is a pitiful understatement; these carnival visions of life seem to completely envelop Franklin himself, a high-caliber composer, writer and instrumentalist who either reeks of genius or is slightly insane. Simultaneously confounding, triumphant and definitely worth a listen...or two dozen. - American Songwriter Raw, stripped-down American folk with a garage / blues twist. This has a mixture of ballads'n'rockers with shades of early Bob Dylan and 'Nebraska'-era Bruce Springsteen, but a lyrical personality all its own. - Jumbo Records
Here Franklin is alone with just his voice, guitars, harmonica and erratically stomping foot. Wandering farther afield of his early hitches with Memphis garage outfits like the Natural Kicks and the Tearjerkers, Franklin is exorcising (or exercising) his inner Dylan. City Lights sifted through Bob's Nashville era, but Ron Franklin more clearly reflects the early years when folk and blues held equal sway over the not-yet towering singer-songwriter. The trickling acoustic and high, nasal vocal on tracks like "Call It a Night" make the comparison inevitable. But on "The Elocutionist" he unearths a rawer blues influence and with the Buddy Holly-inspired "Western Movies" and the disc highlight, punk rocker "Dark Night, Cold Ground," brings a while new batch of ideas to the deconstruction. - Mark Jordan / Memphis Commercial Appeal On his third album, Ron Franklin is messing with the blues again, though that's hardly all he has on his mind. Ron Franklin opens with "Western Movies," a tune that cops its title from an oldie by the Olympics, and its sound and style from Buddy Holly before making way for "Call It a Night," an acoustic number which could pass for an early Bob Dylan copyright in dim light, and while Franklin's Memphis loyalties shine through the cracks in both tracks, he manages to sound like someone who respects the blues tradition while still finding the space to play with its conventions at the same time. (This becomes all the more evident on "Dark Night, Cold Ground" and "The Elocutionist," which hit closer to the roots of traditional blues while still twisting the framework with their fuzzy tone and aggressive simplicity.) Nearly all the songs on Ron Franklin capture the man performing all by his lonesome, either on acoustic or electric guitar, with occasional overdubbed percussion while Franklin's reedy vocals and harmonica hover over it all. The results are simpler but more satisfying than 2007's City Lights; where on that album Franklin's challenges to convention sometimes played out like a hipster's parody, with less gingerbread his sincerity, as well as his imagination, are more evident, even as ghosts of pop, folk, and garage rock are plainly visible on the horizon and lyrical lifts from classic songs dot the landscape. Stark, simple, and subtly witty, Ron Franklin suggests this artist has a bright future as long as he remembers that less can be more. - Mark Deming / All Music Guide The thing that becomes obvious as I listen to more and more music is that while the trends constantly shift, it's the songs that seem timeless that I seek out. When the sound-de-jour changes from dance punk to minimal dub to coke raps, it's hard not to feel lost. I don't always have the time to digest records, and part of the listening experience is lost. Luckily, artists like Ron Franklin continue to make music that aspire to stand the test of time, instead of hoping to get their 15-minutes by being featured in an Ipod commercial. In fact, Franklin would probably talk you into the early morning with stories of being on the road with Arthur Lee or meeting blues legends before he'd mention someone like Feist or CSS. And truth be told, that's a conversation I'd much rather be a part of. Franklin's honesty and appreciation shines through when you listen to his new self-titled release. Finding a song writer infatuated with Dylan's draw or the Ray Davies pop sensibilities is like finding a strand of hay in a haystack, but finding a young man willing to take those roots and fuse them with an appreciation for blues and soul that have been on this Earth longer than he has is something that stands out. Not many artists take standard American folk and cover it in enough swampy mud and soul food to make it stand out, especially when the normal accompaniment is just a guitar. While lots of this record finds Franklin drifting along a dusty folk trail (Don Not Wait 'til I am Laid 'Neath the Clay or Visions of Parfume) with an acoustic or some harmonica, he's just as comfortable cranking up the electric and busting into some heavier blues action (All Along a Summer's Day or Pontiac). That being said, it's when he throws all of his styles into the same pot that the recipe works best. The record's standout track,The Elocutionist, showcases Franklin's harmonica, a rollicking slide guitar and some of his most inspired lyrics. The three-minutes seems to go by in a blink of the eye and you find yourself wanting to hear it over and over again. I could go through this record track by track, trying to help you understand why this record a hidden treasure for music fans, but hearing a song hits you harder than an essay. For me, trying to express the hollow drum sound that keeps time for the electric guitar driven Western Movies just doesn't do it justice; neither does trying to describe the change of pace guitar flourish Franklin uses between the second and third verse. In fact, trying to put any of this record into words makes me feel like I'm trying to convert the already converted. There isn't a hook that will grab you, but over the course of Franklin's latest twelve songs, I found myself letting go of any critical ear and just enjoying his effort. I'm not sure if it's because his songs are so good, or it's just refreshing to hear someone tip his hat to the greats and show us that good music doesn't rely on trends or require playing in the hottest tents at the biggest festivals. Sometimes playing in a shitty club or on a friends back porch is the realest moment in any musician's life. - Herohill When Ron Franklin isn‚t busy firing off dirty blues riffs at you ("Dark Night, Cold Ground") while hollering over them, he's showing us his more gentle side with Dylanesque acoustic songs that are equally compelling ("Do Not Wait 'Til I Am Laid 'Neath The Clay"). This singer/songwriter that calls Memphis home even though he's hardly ever there, isn't doing anything new but he's doing an amazing job at writing honest, hearfelt music while paying tribute to all the greats that went before him. And while a songwriter being influenced by Dylan isn't exactly a novelty, it's the combination with the Delta blues that did me in. Just give "The Elocutionist" - where Franklin throws distorted slide guitar licks and a mouth organ together - a listen and consider yourself a fan from then on. - Punk Rock Theory One of the more promising song smiths I’ve heard in recent times. - Chris Hammond / Bearded Magazine “Born on a road trip, a rest stop”, Ron Franklin sings and plays music that you may expect from that type of statement….raw, southern, dylan’esqe and garage rock re-defined as such. It’s not very often I buy a CD anymore sounds unheard, but I’ve learned over time that the guys over at Alive Records have an ear for special music, so after reading their bio on Mr. Franklin I took a chance and bought his self titled CD after a night of bourbon and cokes. Since I’ve received this CD, it has not left my player. I take it from the home system to the car, whichever I am set to be in for a while and let it play over and over. While the info on this CD isn’t on any online database as of yet, I manually inserted all the track info and synced it to my iTouch. This is the type of music you want easy access to at all times. I’ve already did some research and found he has more music out there which I quickly ordered and has new set of songs coming out soon. I’m not the type that anal-izes an artists lyrics and that holds true for Ron Franklin. All I know is when I listen to his music and words it makes me good. It is music for all moods. Sometimes it makes me want to roll my window down, light a smoke and tap my foot to every beat, other times it makes me want to cry. Ron Franklin plays EmOtIoNaL music. For me that is what music is all about; feeling emotion when you hear it. If you like good songwriting, music you can feel and are in desperate need of something fresh and original pick this CD up asap. - Jeff Jackson / Music Filter As a singer-songwriter-guitarist
from his adopted hometown of Memphis TN, Ron Franklin's music
brings you back to the time when the urban and the rural, the
folk and the blues were not far apart. With an impeccable underground
pedigree which includes bands such as The Natural Kicks and The
Entertainers, as well as a brief stint with Love and the late
Arthur Lee, Ron's music is part of the legacy of the wellspring
of Southern sound. This self-titled album is an amazing achievement,
timeless and transcending generations. The first VINYL pressing
is limited to 500 copies and comes with a FREE BONUS CD. "Ron
Franklin's heart beats to traditional American music, the kind
that's as right for country nights as it is for city lights-it's
a Southern thing. Down there they call him the Rambler and it's
not because he's a talker: he likes to stay on the move. Like
musicians on a mission before him, from Bob Dylan to the Black
Keys, Franklin went in search of his musical heroes-and found
them-down on Highway 61." - Denise Sullivan / Crawdaddy Alive
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