★★★
You know the kind of music your parents put on at family occasions? The sort that blends well into the background so as not to interrupt conversation, but when the chat dies down, someone asks nervously, “Who’s this again?” Well, there’s a good chance it’s Donavon Frankenreiter.
His new album The Heart is a smooth collection of soft acoustic songs about heartbreak and making ripples in the ocean. Frankenreiter’s voice is ‘nice’, in that it speaks inoffensively and in tones that aren’t too abrasive for those car trips with the ’rents down to the snow. The drum kit makes brief appearances, like on ‘Woman’ and ‘Sleeping Good Tonight’, but doesn’t cause any imbalance.After only one listen, I’m whistling the melody to the opening track, ‘When The River Bends’, while I stand outside a café waiting for my order – in parts, it’s catchy.
Moments later, I feel a pigeon do its thing on my shoulder, ruining a perfectly clean jacket. Even while getting into the car with a flat white and a new white stain on my left arm, this album tempers my anger.
With no intention of offending a large constituency of Frankenreiter’s fan base, this music is ‘dad music’. It gets the job done.
Donavon Frankenreiter’s The Heart is out through Liberator.
