Frankie Lee - Stillwater

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 21 / 9 / 2019

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It’s been four long years since Frankie Lee’s debut album, ‘American Dreamer’, blew us away; the comparisons to Springsteen, Tom Petty, Dylan and Neil Young were all justified. It was, still is in fact, a brilliant album. It’s taken a while but Lee recently finally followed up that debut with ‘Stillwater’, a collection of nine original songs that confirm that Lee deserves to be compared to those greats above; that ‘American Dreamer’ was no fluke. There’s warmth spread throughout this album. The production by Lee and Jacob Hanson, wraps Lee’s tales of small-town America in a cosy, favourite blanket of sound. The singer’s high, at times almost feather light vocals are impossible to ignore or to dislike. There’s a dreamlike quality running through each and every track on ‘Stillwater’. The listener leaves the album thinking that this latest set of songs are closer to Lee’s heart than those on his debut; he’s poured more of Frankie Lee into ‘Stillwater’. It should be no great surprise; Stillwater, where the album was recorded, is the small town in which Lee was born and which he’s been leaving and returning to all his life, which is another reason why his songs resonate with so many. There are few who won’t relate to his songs on some level. But Lee didn’t just shun the professional studios he could have chosen for ‘Stillwater’ to make an album in his hometown; he actually set up a makeshift studio in the house he grew up in. No doubt Lee knows every inch, every creak and crack of that house, and being in such familiar surroundings has no doubt added greatly to the beautiful, heartfelt sound that informs the songs on ‘Stillwater’. Listening to this album one wonders why Lee isn’t better known. Lee deserves his name to be mentioned along with those major artists because he is a songwriter of no little talent, one who writes short stories and sets them in such haunting melodies they’re impossible to ignore, and has a voice that is more immediately appealing than most of those he’s always compared to. On ‘Stillwater’ Lee really delivers an album which is 100% Frankie Lee. Lee and a bunch of local musicians spent just three days in that house creating ‘Stillwater'. Most of the songs which appear on the album are first or second takes which at first, given the warmth and passion that is captured here, is difficult to believe, but as the album unfolds it’s obvious that returning home to cut his latest set of songs was the natural and right thing for Lee to do. Lee, regardless of the subject matter of a particular song, sounds comfortable, unsurprisingly, in these surroundings. There’s only one song on ‘Stillwater’ that clocks in at under four minutes and that’s ‘Broken Arrow’, a country tune that initially has the listener expecting some kind of ode to Neil Young given its title, but, while the song isn’t so far removed from country mode Neil, that’s the only connection. Lee delivers a heart-touching vocal performance which Young could never hope to emulate (and that’s no criticism of Young’s vocals, as his albums take up more space on this writer’s shelves than any other artist). The length of the songs gives Lee and his band the chance to open up and dress his lyrics (which are another example of how talented this artist is) with all the nuances they deserve. Lee’s ode to Jessica Lange, who lived in Stillwater when Lee was growing up, ‘Downtown Lights’, seems to be receiving most of the attention right now. While it’s impossible to choose a highlight on ‘Stillwater’ as each and every song is special, this particular track does display all that you need to know about the album. Lee’s longing vocals, the irresistible chorus, those chunky lead guitar lines, that haunting harmonica are indicative of the love which is poured into every song here. Although Lee describes his sound as ‘Western Music’ and there is a country influence throughout the album, there are also a few piano driven numbers that add diversity to the album. The atmosphere created by the band and producers also plays a major part in the attraction of ‘Stillwater’. ‘(I Don’t Wanna Know) John’ an acoustic ballad which is dripping with pedal steel, recalls meeting up with an old friend and listening to his hardships; the haunting atmosphere conjured up by all concerned make this song one of the most powerful we’ve yet to hear from Lee. ‘In the Blue’ is another piano-led ballad, blessed with a lovely melody; again it’s the little unexpected touches that lift the song from good to great. That beautifully haunting atmosphere again makes an appearance. There’s not a wasted second on ‘Stillwater’; from the opening country-influenced ‘Speakeasy’ which displays Lee’s most world-weary vocals to the final notes on the piano-ballad ‘Ventura’, another showcase for Lee’s expressive vocals, ‘Stillwater’ is an album that never disappoints. As the album ends, and before the replay button is pushed, a couple of thoughts entered the mind of this writer; why oh why isn’t Frankie Lee getting more attention when he is this good and where is he going to go next? ‘Stillwater’ is that good one wonders how Lee is going to top it. But then, we thought the same about ‘American Dreamer’…

Track Listing:-

1 Speakeasy
2 Only She Knows
3 Downtown Lights
4 In the Blue
5 (I Don't Want to Know) John
6 Blinds
7 One Wild Bird
8 Broken Arrow
9 Ventura

Band Links:-

http://www.frankieleemusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/frankie.lee.9638
https://twitter.com/frankieleemusic

Label Links:-

http://loosemusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/loosemusic
https://twitter.com/looseMusic
http://www.last.fm/user/Loose_Music
https://www.youtube.com/loosemusic
https://instagram.com/loose_music/

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