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| LOVE SONGS? - FAMOUS FRAMUS (June 2004) |
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| This recording followed a mere month after Rough Stuff, and once again Famous Framus has assembled a great collection of originals based on blues and subsequent rock�n�roll influences. �Feelin� Down� is an obvious tribute to Bo Diddley and Buddy Holly, actually borrowing Holly�s �love is real, not fade away� phrase (a song also covered by the Stones early on in their own career). The songs were all recorded live off the floor, with Famous Framus accompanying himself with a harmonica cradle while singing and picking. He himself describes the harmonica playing "as raw and rough and all mine". It's initially off-putting until it takes on a complementary signature of its own, as evidenced later on in �No Susanna�. The chord pattern in the chorus of �She Might Not Love Me� follows a bit too closely along the lines of Richie Valens� �La Bamba�, albeit slowed down a tad, but it�s still a catchy tune that might have had me whistling along if I possessed that particular talent, which, unfortunately, I don�t. �Cold Hard Woman Blues�, like many of his songs, doesn�t remind me of anyone else�s music, and that speaks to his uniqueness as a songwriter. Also, true to form, he retains a high level of energy while strumming the rhythm and picking the accompanying bass lines. �Muddslide�, a collaboration with Mictch Leblanc, is either written slightly out of his vocal range or his throat was just raunched out during that recording. In any case, I received it as a slide guitar tribute to Muddy Waters. Even at just over four minutes, longer than his average song length, it loses its novelty rather quickly, but the same could be said about some John Lee Hooker material. �No Susanna�, a cross between the traditional �Oh, Susanna� and Kristofferson�s �Me and Bobby McGee�, is Famous Framus at his storytelling best. �Led Zeppelin� is the first song I heard played live by Famous Framus, and it hooked me immediately! I think Jimmy Page needs to repay the favour now with a well-deserved �Ode to Famous Framus�. Following a trend, the uncredited final track on this copy of the disc is "Fell in Love with a Girl" by Jack White (of The White Stripes). Strummed in cut time, it�s a love song, alright, but �Bobby says it�s fine; he don�t consider it cheating�. |