david francis
poems
© 2007 david francis (format: CD-R)
CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.
A love story, all the nuances of it, told in poems and music.
tracks
- 1 a closed-mouth kiss
- 2 penultimate actual
- 3 rugby field
- 4 a wrong sign
- 5 the free meal
- 6 arrondissement
- 7 a vignette
- 8 those summer chairs
- 9 nightmarish building
- 10 in a storm
- 11 next to last night
- 12 our thursday neighbors
- 13 the allotment
- 14 in the air
- 15 rain
- 16 the surprise pledge
- 17 the blackout
- 18 november 7
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DAVID FRANCIS WILL BE TOURING ENGLAND IN SEPTEMBER 2008.
STAY TUNED...
Musicians featured on "Poems":
Patience Higgins (oboe, clarinet)
Will Holshouser (accordion)
Ron Horton (trumpet)
Kalin Ivanov (cello)
Lalo (vibes)
Jeff Philips (bass)
Deborah Thurlow (French horn)
"Poems" is being played on:
Mondo Blu Radio (Barcelona, Spain)
Homegrown Podcast (programme 104) (Birmingham, England)
Trent Radio 92.7: "The Word Less Spoken" (Peterborough,
Canada)
WSUM FM: "Wordsalad" (Madison, Wisconsin)
209 Radio 105 FM: "Headstand" (Cambridge, England)
Gypsy Art Show with Belinda Subraman
REVIEWS
"The Centrifugal Eye" (centrifugaleye.com)
by Eve Anthony Hanninen (May 2008)
The cover art is unassuming, with a scene of a peaceful lake (or river) and boats on the front side; towering trees planted on a grassy bank, with Bentwood-style chairs paralleling the water’s edge on back. The title? Just “Poems.” Simple, but the placid imagery does set the tone for the content inside.
And listening to David Francis’ spoken word / music CD, "Poems," proved to be a delightful surprise for this bone-weary editor on the eve of The Centrifugal Eye’s May quarter publication. Okay, so normally when I plan to review something myself (not often), I give myself at least a couple weeks’ lead time, but believe me, this time it just wasn’t possible.
It was lucky for both David Francis and me that these eighteen poems set to music were soothing, amusing, and touching (yet uplifting). Otherwise, they’d have been given a lukewarm listen and then slipped to the “dead file.” Well, they’re not really “set to music.” The poems are more like small, lyrical, vocal interludes between accomplished phrasings of instrumental music. The "verses" range, both in voice and content, from diverting to pensive vignettes that vine around the story of a couple’s cycle through the genesis of their relationship.
I’ve only listened to the entire CD three times so far, and haven’t decided yet on particular favorites. I also find it unfortunate that the track titles are not listed on the CD insert, so couldn’t really identify the poems yet, anyway. The individual titles can be located on CD Baby.com, but I find that inconvenient.
I can tell you that there are more than a couple poems which get me nodding or smiling, sometimes both. Each poem is first introduced by a melody or rhythmic riff which features a different musical instrument, be it piano, guitar, flute or horn, for example, so it’s natural to consider each of these poems a song of sort. Personally, I don’t usually like commercial songs that have “talky” parts in them, however my impression of Francis’ poems doesn’t suffer from this same disdain. Instead, the soft quality of Francis’ voice, his steady and practiced intonation, place me immediately into the setting of a poetry reading staged in a funky, European bistro glazed with slanted light.
The climate of David Francis’ "Poems" sows introspection; the musical riffs seed emotions, the melodies of both instrumental and vocal craft flourish into a hybrid of form, his poetic world of contemporary romance flowers in my imagination. All this, on a dreamy, lightly-involved level. Refreshing, especially after the rather somber material I’ve recently been buried in the past few months.
Highlights of "Poems": Francis’ ability to weave slant rhymes naturally into many of the pieces. His subtly retro, beat-like intonation. Jazzy, folksy, percussive accompaniments. Good pacing.
"Ink Sweat & Tears" (ink-sweat-and-tears.com)
by Charles Christian (March 2008)
This CD of poetry and music by New York poet David Francis has been sitting in my in-tray for an appallingly long time. Nothing personal David, it's just that the last time I received a CD of poetry and music to review, it turned out to be recited by mad people – and played by mad people. Nothing could be more different than this CD. Called Poems, the poetry is good. The music is good, in a folk/acoustic style (which in some respects has the mellowness of some Steely Dan tracks). And the production values of the CD are excellent.
There are a total of 18 short poems (and equally short musical accompaniments) on the CD, all prompted by a 22-date tour of the UK he did in 2006, which gave him an opportunity to revisit the places in and around London where he used to live and write many years previously. Listening to this CD is both a relaxing and thought-provoking experience – and one I'm going to be happy to do again.
"Poetry Pleasure" (poetrypleasure.co.uk)
by W.J. Thraveson-Lambert (December 2007)
David Francis reads his own poems and leads the small ensemble that plays his own compositions, which complement the poems.
David’s work is broadcast on American radio stations and he was heard live on air whilst touring the UK in 2006. To my ear, this is a delightful CD and one I shall play often. The music complements the short poems nicely and makes for pleasant listening. However, much more than that, the ideas and emotions expressed within the poetry give one pause for thought. A thought that stays with you allowing time for reflection and meditation.
"New Grey Whistle Test" (nugreywhistletest.co.uk)
by David Hudson (December 2007)
All the way from New York this guy oozes credibility and coolness, he has a new album out now called 'Poems'...
All the lyrics and poems on his new album were written entirely in the UK, a collection of inspirations and thoughts that our country had on an 'American in London'....and beyond.