DAVID FRANCEY: Late Edition
DAVID FRANCEY
Late Edition
Laker 1009
After nine celebrated albums of carefully-crafted balladry, the novel fact that Scottish-Canadian songwriter David Francey released his first album in 1999 at age 45 has worn off, and he has become more of a cherished and familiar old friend whose latest thoughts you look forward to hearing. Just so, in this album David shares his reactions to recent news, some world news but mostly personal news. And, to make the conversation even more intimate and immediate, these plainspoken songs are recorded live âoff the studio floor,â as performed together by David and Kieran Kane (banjo, guitar), Fats Kaplin (fiddle, mandolin), Richard Bennett (guitar, bouzouki) and Lucas Kane (drums). The result is engaging, poetic, and often exhilarating.
Although the songs are inspired by the dayâs news, they are not topical songs. David meditates on news itself, including how transitory news can be (âYesterdayâs Newsâ) and how television news is sometimes gathered by âpretty jackals who smell the bloodâ and delivered by âa pretty face that talksâ (âPretty Jackalsâ). He sings of the touring musicianâs lonely hotel room (âBlue Heart of Texasâ), lost love (âLong Brown Hairâ), and isolation (âHigh Wallâ). He ties together a Kurosawa movie, the Afghan war, and the mortgage crisis (âI Live in Fearâ). And, he ends with a prayer-like song of thanks for love (âGratitudeâ). These are deeply personal songs, but they are personal in the engaging and candid way that you welcome from a cherished friend.
â Scott Sheldon