Jack Francis Early Retirement
Our ears were first treated to soulful folk sounds of Jack Francis back in July last year when he appeared as guest during Franklin, Tennessee raised (but now adopted Brit) Alyssa Bonagura’s show at London’s iconic The Bedford in Balham. The opportunity to hear his style which blurs the lines between folk, rock, soul and country is now universal as he recently shared his new eleven track album “Early Retirement” which is available (HERE) for all to experience.
The sophomore offering from the Southampton based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist comes two years after his self-titled debut and once again sees Archie Sylvester (one half of award winning, folk duo Ferris & Sylvester) sat in the producers chair.
Francis himself says: ‘Early Retirement is a record about endings and new beginnings. It’s about riding out fallen dreams and trying to navigate modern society as an old soul in a new world. It comes from a very personal place as a writer and conveys my concerns, doubts, sense of humour and stubborn determination to build a life in the field I’ve dedicated myself to.’ He provides more context by adding: ‘This was a concept album from the very start – it was a conscious choice to make this a singular, coherent piece of work that would stand the test of time in both the aspect of the songwriting and the messages I’m trying to communicate.’
The sophomore offering from the Southampton based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist comes two years after his self-titled debut and once again sees Archie Sylvester (one half of award winning, folk duo Ferris & Sylvester) sat in the producers chair.
Francis himself says: ‘Early Retirement is a record about endings and new beginnings. It’s about riding out fallen dreams and trying to navigate modern society as an old soul in a new world. It comes from a very personal place as a writer and conveys my concerns, doubts, sense of humour and stubborn determination to build a life in the field I’ve dedicated myself to.’ He provides more context by adding: ‘This was a concept album from the very start – it was a conscious choice to make this a singular, coherent piece of work that would stand the test of time in both the aspect of the songwriting and the messages I’m trying to communicate.’
Collectively the eleven songs fit together cohesively and perfectly depict the journey of navigating the quandaries of modern life and today’s society which demonstrates everyday themes which affects us all on both ends of the emotional spectrum. At first glance, the stories come across as quite heavy but when digesting the ideology in the songwriting with more depth, the album highlights light and dark being elements that cohabit in a way similar to the Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang needing each other to maintain balance.
The album opens with “Promised Land” that builds into a big chorus with the aspiration to achieve goals even if the road ahead is not clear and really sets the tone to draw you into to the record as it offers the first of many beautifully delivered guitar solos. Melodically the eleven tracks go up and down with tempos and sounds to reflect this bumpy road that reflects this so well as the order of the track listing is so clever to bring you through the peaks and troughs as a listener.
“Mercy” brings an almost funky vibe and a catchy melody filled with soul to come out as probably the standout track of the album in the way it portrays desperation in an uplifting way whilst “Lifeline” has a really cool film noir kind of feel that has incredibly strong instrumentals throughout that pulls feelings of anger and optimism together.
Lyrically, Francis really shows his craft as a songwriter with the poetic and powerful reflection of modern life that is “21st Century Man” which the blues-tinged piano ballad is perfectly positioned right in the middle of the project. This is followed by the incredibly clever and witty “Failure” which is a very accurate tale of life in the music industry reflecting on feelings of doubt but realising things are done for passion and done regardless.
The albums penultimate song “Merry-Go-Round” displays the madness of the world but also showcases the projects most compelling guitar solo before closing out with “Curtain Call” which pulls together the overarching pondering and reflection that are themed throughout the project to end with one more opportunity for contemplation which in one of the reasons why “Early Retirement” is so enticing.
Early Retirement Track listing
Promised Land
Tired Of Trying
Mercy
A Bit Of Your Time
Lifeline
21st Century Man
Failure
Forever Alone
Under The Bright Lights
Merry-Go-Round
Curtain Call
The new album “Early Retirement” from Jack Francis is out now and available HERE. You can find news of any forthcoming shows on his WEBSITE and you keep up to date with all that Jack is up to socially on INSTAGRAM TWITTER & FACEBOOK.
The album opens with “Promised Land” that builds into a big chorus with the aspiration to achieve goals even if the road ahead is not clear and really sets the tone to draw you into to the record as it offers the first of many beautifully delivered guitar solos. Melodically the eleven tracks go up and down with tempos and sounds to reflect this bumpy road that reflects this so well as the order of the track listing is so clever to bring you through the peaks and troughs as a listener.
“Mercy” brings an almost funky vibe and a catchy melody filled with soul to come out as probably the standout track of the album in the way it portrays desperation in an uplifting way whilst “Lifeline” has a really cool film noir kind of feel that has incredibly strong instrumentals throughout that pulls feelings of anger and optimism together.
Lyrically, Francis really shows his craft as a songwriter with the poetic and powerful reflection of modern life that is “21st Century Man” which the blues-tinged piano ballad is perfectly positioned right in the middle of the project. This is followed by the incredibly clever and witty “Failure” which is a very accurate tale of life in the music industry reflecting on feelings of doubt but realising things are done for passion and done regardless.
The albums penultimate song “Merry-Go-Round” displays the madness of the world but also showcases the projects most compelling guitar solo before closing out with “Curtain Call” which pulls together the overarching pondering and reflection that are themed throughout the project to end with one more opportunity for contemplation which in one of the reasons why “Early Retirement” is so enticing.
Early Retirement Track listing
Promised Land
Tired Of Trying
Mercy
A Bit Of Your Time
Lifeline
21st Century Man
Failure
Forever Alone
Under The Bright Lights
Merry-Go-Round
Curtain Call
The new album “Early Retirement” from Jack Francis is out now and available HERE. You can find news of any forthcoming shows on his WEBSITE and you keep up to date with all that Jack is up to socially on INSTAGRAM TWITTER & FACEBOOK.