My Rock CD is finally been released on CD Baby...

[FrankAxtell]

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/frankaxtell


http://www.frankaxtell.com/adv/index.php/en/

(http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/frankaxtell)

[marnold]

Ordered and downloading! Review to follow . . .

[marnold]

As promised, my "mini" review:

Frank doesn't really need an introduction here. He's the guy who comes in here with a new song, blows us all into next Tuesday, and then disappears into the night until the next track is ready. A number of the tracks on "A Different Vision" have been posted here in one form or another, so you already have a taste of what the album is like. As was noted above, this is a rock record, so those looking for his jazzier moments will have to look elsewhere (although there is a bit of jazz flavoring here and there just to keep things interesting). I prefer it when Frank rawks--and rawk he does.

I've struggled to come up with a well-known group to compare the sound on this album to. You'll hear some Asia in there, especially in the more keyboard-oriented parts. You'll hear atmospheric, ethereal qualities throughout. Every so often I'll hear something that will remind me of an Eric Johnson or Thomas Dolby song for a fleeting moment. The opening to "When Lightning Strikes" sounds Hendrixy then it slides into a jazzy, Steely Dan keyboard bit. Yes, I just typed that. About the closest I can come to characterizing the album is a modern take on 80s rock (rock, not hair metal) with some prog thrown it for good measure. It's probably good that I can't come up with a comparison. Frank sounds like Frank. What can I say?

The songs are well-crafted. Despite that, I have to tell myself to keep listening to the song and not just wait for the guitar solo. It's not that the songs are lacking, it's just that I enjoy Frank's playing so much. His tone is to die for. He can rip it up with the best of them, but also has a knack for knowing where a well-timed bend and vibrato would serve the song better. The solos are worth the price of the album all by itself--he'll even wrap it in a good song for free! Actually, the solos alone make the album a bargain. Yes, I'm a big fan.

Admittedly, Frank's vocals probably wouldn't win at American Idol. Having said that I'd rather listen to a thousand Franks than most every American Idol contestant (the guy who covered Priest recently was pretty cool, though). The vocals seem to work best in the harmony parts--Frank harmonizes with himself rather well. But if someone was to take issue with the album, it probably would be in this area. Since most of the music I tend to listen to sounds like the lead singer got his groin caught in a bear trap, I might not be the best person to judge.

One song that particularly surprised me was the last track, an instrumental called "The New Jerusalem." It has a character that is quite a bit different from the rest of the album. As a Christian, that title is loaded with meaning for me. I could almost picture someone going through troubles in this life thinking about his real, eternal home. There's that interplay of hopefulness and sadness that strikes me as very powerful. I'm not sure what Frank's vision was for this track, but it certainly struck me. Isn't art supposed to strike a chord with the one viewing/listening to it? On a more secular level, I also thought that somebody HAS to use this for the music in a "delicate love" scene.

The purchasing and downloading process from CD Baby was painless. The album comes with all the tracks in one ZIP file. I wish they would have named the individual files differently. For example, the first track is "FrankAxtell-ADifferentVision-01-ADifferentVision.mp3". It's not a huge thing because I usually rename all the files anyway to fit my A.R. naming scheme.

I'll just put it this way: if you've enjoyed the rock tracks that Frank has posted here, buy the album. It's $10--cheaper than just about every CD in stores. We complain about the garbage that Big Music is foisting on us. Here's a guy who is doing something about it. If that's not worth supporting, I don't know what is. The tracks are in standard MP3 format--no iTunes DRM garbage to have to wade through--but he has a link to an iTunes version on his site for people who like their rights restricted *cough*.

[marnold]

FWIW, my favorite tracks are probably "The Way You Wear Your Heart," "Close Your Eyes," and the aforementioned "The New Jerusalem."

[FrankAxtell]

Thanks so very much for your review...I really appreciate you taking the time to write it. I'm so glad you are enjoying my work.
The New Jerusalem is about John's experience on the Greek isle of Patmos when writing the Book of Revelation and the vision he experiences as the great celestial city is revealed. Many blessings to you my friend!:thumbsup

[jpfeifer]

Frank, good luck with your CD! I always admire anyone who is writing and recording their own stuff. This is a lot of work, but very much worth it. Best of luck to you!

--Jim

[FrankAxtell]

I will soon be releasing my jazz CD...Stay tuned...:)