Frankie Oliver - Here I Am
by Dave Goodwin
published: 12 / 8 / 2017
Label:
Good Deeds Music
Format: CD
intro
Excellent second album from Eastender Frankie Oliver who has been influenced by such greats as Al Green and Muddy Waters
Born in Brick Lane in the East End of London to Turkish-Cypriot parents, Frankie Oliver grew up on a fusion of black music and especially reggae and the likes of Bob Marley, Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown and Horace Andy. In his own words he tells it like it is. "That music was my life,” he says. When his mum and dad both died within the space of eighteen months of each other, he delved deeper into the music of greats such as Al Green and Muddy Waters. In his teenage years he began singing at local clubs and functions where he was spotted and quickly signed to Island Records by Trevor Wyatt, whisked off to Jamaica where he recorded his debut album, 'Looking for the Twist', and ended up working with the legendary rhythm section and production team of Sly and Robbie. As a former London taxi driver who carried his beloved Telecaster in the front of his black cab at all times, Frankie Oliver is a singer, songwriter and recording artist who has household names for friends these days like Delroy Pinnock and keyboard player Sam Bergliter (Lionel Bart’s nephew) and mixes it up with blues guitarist Steve Haworth, bass player Elroy Bailey (formerly of Black Slate), drummer Nikolaj Bjerre (Ian Siegal), trumpeter Patrick Tenyue (UB40), saxophonist Ray Carless (Adele) and violinist Stella Page (Elbow). The cast of friends that he has must have surely influenced the final product of his brand new album 'Here I Am', which has been released on Good Deeds Music. 'Here I Am' is a huge twelve-track collection of genuinely crafted soul songs encompassing his impressive song and classic vocals “I love making music. And I love my wife and family,” Frankie says. “I just want to express how I feel about them and the world, everything rolled into one. This album is my truth.” The first three tracks on this belter - the sanguine opener 'Gone are the Days', the BBC Radio 2 playlisted single 'Tell Me' and the sultry 'Man at my Window' - are stories from the heart of a man who knows the true value of things. But it's not all soul serenading. There’s suitable funk in tracks like 'I’ve Got Love’, the summery 'She’s Beautiful' and the gospel-tinged 'Down by the Riverside'. My favourite on here has to be the old school early R&B-influenced 'How Many Times' which brings out the Northern Soul fan in me every time I play it. It comes in a jewel case that includes a songsheet and lyrics and all artwork by Paul Heneger. Marvellous!
Track Listing:-
1 Gone Are the Days2 Tell Me
3 Man at My Window
4 Cos of You
5 I've Got Love
6 My Kinda Woman
7 She's Beautiful
8 Down by the Riverside
9 Honey (I'm on Fire)
10 How Many Times
11 Love Is Overdue
12 Things That I Was Told
Band Links:-
http://www.frankieolivermusic.com/https://en-gb.facebook.com/FrankieOliverMusic/
most viewed articles
current edition
Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies - Sala Apolo, Barcelona, 29/11/2023 and La Paqui, Madrid, 30/11/2023Anthony Phillips - Interview
Difford and Tilbrook - Difford and Tilbrook
Rain Parade - Interview
Oldfield Youth Club - Interview
Autumn 1904 - Interview
Shaw's Trailer Park - Interview
Cafe No. 9, Sheffield and Grass Roots Venues - Comment
Pete Berwick - ‘Too Wild to Tame’: The story of the Boyzz:
Chris Hludzik - Vinyl Stories
most viewed reviews
current edition
Marika Hackman - Big SighSerious Sam Barrett - A Drop of the Morning Dew
Rod Stewart and Jools Holland - Swing Fever
Loves - True Love: The Most of The Loves
Ian M Bailey - We Live in Strange Times
Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run
Autumn 1904 - Tales of Innocence
Roberta Flack - Lost Takes
Banter - Heroes
Posey Hill - No Clear Place to Fall
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart