By DAN MACINTOSH
Some have called Neal Francis the second coming of New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint. That’s a whole lot of pressure, and two big shoes to fill. However, when you partake of funky tunes, such as the electric piano-driven “Problems” off Francis’ latest, In Plain Sight, well, you can certainly hear where these comparisons come from.
Francis will most certainly be “in plain sight,” when he brings his contemporary soul sounds to the Teragram Ballroom the first week of 2022 on January 5.
Francis is a Chicago native, who wrote and recorded his current album at a haunted church in Chicago. No, this isn’t a funky musical Ghostbusters. However, a track like “Can’t Stop The Rain” sounds a little like Elton John fronting a Southern rock jam band. Mixer Dave Fridmann, who has produced such wildly creative acts as MGMT, Tame Impala and The Flaming Lips, helps give In Plain Sight its uniquely psychedelic soul vibe. Like with his previous release, Changes, Sergio Rios (guitarist-engineer respected for his work on Alicia Keys and CeeLo Green) produced this eight-song opus.
Francis’ new album In Plain Sight is about more than just adventurous audio, though. “I’m owning up to all my problems within my relationships and my sobriety,” Francis has said. “So much of it is about coming to the understanding that I continue to suffer because of those problems. It’s about acknowledging that and putting it out in the open in order to mitigate the suffering and try to work on it, instead of trying to hide everything.”
Check out Neal Francis’ track ‘Can’t Stop the Rain’ here:
Music has a way of healing us in beautiful and mysterious ways. Francis learned this firsthand while creating In Plain Sight.
“When I started the process of writing these songs, I was so emotionally out-of-sorts and really kind of hopeless that I’d be able to come up with anything,” Francis said. “But then I sat down and started working, and embraced whatever inspiration came my way. Sometimes it felt like beating my head against a wall, but I tried to trust that it would lead somewhere. The whole thing was like a weird dream—this very strange time of terrible, wonderful isolation.”
By the time January 5 rolls around, you’ll probably have already broken any New Year’s resolutions you’ve made and will be ready to lose yourself in some mighty fine music. See Neal Francis Tour Dates here.
Check out ‘In Plain Sight’ here:
