"A great five track EP of original songs that sound like they were taken right from the Great American Songbook" - John LombardiLounging with Lombardi
Frank Swings CD Review
February 29, 2012
"Lastly, I finally got the time and wherewithal to listen to my friend Frank Lamphere’s latest CD. It’s entitled Frank Swings, and it features the vocalist’s five original compositions. If you haven’t heard this Chicagoan crooner before, you’re in for a treat. Unlike singers like Michael Buble who initially succeed in one genre but cross over into more popular styles, Frank demonstrates respect for the style he loves. Without being a generic impersonator, Lamphere derives inspiration from the usual suspects, Sinatra and Dean Martin. But I didn’t find myself comparing him to either. Both his singing and original songs stand on their own merits. His voice, now more than ever before, is a wonderful blend of masculine strength and smooth, rounded edges. Rather than sounding like someone who is hesitant, Frank’s style embodies bridled strength. It’s classy, it’s powerful, but it’s never rude or unkind. It’s refreshing to hear a new offering with the kind of romantic, sincere sentimentality that is almost completely lost in modern music. The fledgling composer succeeds with five originals with catchy lyrics, good production value, and top notch playing by some of Chicago’s finest musicians. Two songs which really stand out are “Chicago is For Me”, a song I could easily hear on TV or in a movie, and “I Like Your Smell.” The latter song’s provocative title lives up to expectations. With tongue firmly in cheek, Frank brings together man’s two perennial loves, food and women. If you have love for the Rat Pack, check out Frank Lamphere’s new CD. If you are in the Chicagoland area, go hear him for yourself.
"In the quick-tempoed sections, a confidently brash Sinatra or Bobby Darin style is embraced, though not slavishly or self-consciously. He seems more modeled on the casual Dean Martin manner, especially in lazy, slow tempo where he slurs and sloshes some vowel sounds" "The highlight, "Chicago Is for Me," is a vivacious and likeably unpretentious valentine to the city where he's based; with reed player Eric Schneider echoing the notes for "Chicago"—and then soaring—it's an appealing tour. With a light, genial swinging sound that softens the cockiness he sometimes affects in attitude, it's a snappy affair and he seems happy to blatantly ape his forefathers in cooler-than-thou macho stance ("You should have sat me down, woman" goes a line in the farewell song with maybe a tinge of country and western, "That's How Our Story Ends")—but usually with a decided wink. "Go on your casual way" he suggests—and so he does, all the way. More power to him."
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