Franc Cinelli – Night Songs
SongCircle Records- Out Now
It is anyone’s guess who Franc Cinelli is singing to on the second track of his latest album. The tune in question, ‘Stay Strange’, is a sincere request to its subject matter to hold onto their creative fire. Whatever the fuel that fires their muse, whatever the source of the energy that feeds their essence, he implores them not to burn it out too quickly. “Bring your music, bring your fire” he sings, “bring your dancing heart that knows no better than to want it all”. Ironically though, that wildness and sense of wonder that Franc so admires in his muse could equally be the elements that his followers would wish for him to retain. Well, I’m happy to report that they are all still present and indeed thriving on ‘Night Songs’. Everything, from that ear for a delectable guitar hook to the soulful depths of that ‘lived-in’ voice of his, here’s an artist whose flame is burning bright.
Franc Cinelli is a musical multi-culturalist and a man well travelled. He was born in Rome and moved to London at a young age where he learned to play the violin and guitar. The sounds that shaped this young man ranged from Muddy Waters to Lucio Dalla. He was destined to become a song-writing troubadour, and he certainly paid his dues on the live circuit before a recording career emerged. When he released his ‘The Marvel Age’ LP in 2015, it became a favourite on Folk Radio, but it also received widespread praise for its song-writing and authentic troubadour grain. It was as if the ‘On The Road’ excursions of Kerouac’s famous book were still being taken today, the only difference being that Dean Moriarty’s musical juices were fuelled by folk and blues rather than jazz. It was a record that came together through twelve long months of touring. These subsequent years have shown no let-up for Franc’s scheduling. As long-awaited as this follow-up album has been, this does not indicate a paucity of output. The free acoustic EP currently available on his website is proof enough of that. Still, Franc also began 2018 in New York where he put together a series of single releases that came out exclusively on vinyl.
For ‘Night Songs’ he had returned to London principally to set about recording the material gradually accumulated over the course of the past year. That they now sit together under a collective title that implies a nocturnal ambience is appropriate, for these are pieces that all feel like they were created in the peaceful, dark still of the night. There’s a serenity that runs throughout this album, and it appears the uninterrupted solitude has coaxed far more personal, reflective material out of Cinelli. The man himself is all too aware of this and has spoken of how “the songs definitely feel like they belong together, and the title helps me understand them better. In the silent, lonely darkness, dreams are born and reflections make way for answers. Night-time isn’t the end of anything; it’s the beginning; it’s the seed of a brand-new start”.
That intimate set up rains down right from the start. ‘Adventure Love’ is deceptively tranquil at the outset, the acoustic guitar picking is sweet, and its push is a gentle one, this song doesn’t want to wake the neighbours. But the darker stuff isn’t too far below the surface as about two thirds in a burst of mournfulness prevails with Franc repeating the question “who are you now? Who are you now?” He’s conquering a few demons on this album for sure, presumably due to that late-night environment and the brutal self-assessments that internal monologue can lead to. A spiritual cleansing is blowing in the air; you can feel it and hear it in the Eastern folk vibes of N. Ravikiran and Ravi Shankar which soak into the vibrant mixture of influences detectable here.
Blaze Foley and John Martyn are musical touchstones for Franc’s sound too, which as well as pointing to real depth in the writing also suggest he can surprise the listener with a sudden sonic change. ‘Walk With Me Jimi’ has a funky African bounce and appearing as the penultimate track, it offers a bit of contrast to the starry-eyed thinking. Earlier, ‘Breathe’ brought another dramatic shift, with gospel-tinged female voices repeating “wade through the water like Hercules”. This is spiritually uplifting music pure and simple, but again the lyric suggests a deeper concern. Rather than extolling the virtues of filling your lungs with fresh air, Franc sounds like he’s talking a companion through serious anxiety and trauma, the breathing of the title serving as a device to cure the numbness and the blues. The genius in the writing here is how the music tells the story, while the open-ended lyrics make this a song that anyone suffering a stress-induced break down could turn to for help and encouragement.
Franc is emphatic in his belief that these are “songs I needed to write, plain and simple”. Many of the lyrics self-reference and the contributions of others are generally un-intrusive and subtle. He’s taking care of the guitar, keyboard and percussion himself although is still joined by his regular bandmates where needed. The drums are the work of Drew Manley, bass is Laurence Saywood, and Chantal Brown of the band Vodun Born adds some guest vocals. To point to an example of all these details, I’d refer to ‘Rave On’; neither a cover version nor a carefree knees-up. No, this is Franc meditating on his own place in the musical universe. Picking like Donovan in India as he reflects “I played the rambling man, from autumn frost to summer greens, rave on sweet wanderlust”. A heavenly harmonium sound lifts the tune into another dimension, gently ascending to a conclusion with psychedelic reverse zingers. You must give Cinelli great kudos for his boundless approach to these recordings; he’s allowed the music to guide him down many satisfying and unpredictable avenues.
The title track and the album closer ‘Night Life’ address the wee-small hours theme directly, thus giving the whole collection of songs a lovely unity. The former of the two is a lush, soothing ode to the moonlight creations that make up this record. While the city sleeps all around there’s Franc singing how “the stars sing a song that feels like home, like her hand would rest between my knees”. The latter of the two starts in a similarly chilled-out vein but this one has another surprise up its sleeve. As Franc sings “into the light of a day that never comes” he begins hitting those strings with pace and purpose. He’s coaxing in that new day; the sound is suddenly fizzing, bass guitar and drums are shaking the world back to life. By the end he’s windmill slashing the chords on that acoustic, the daylight has well and truly returned for Franc, signalling that this journey has reached its end. You can’t stay in that meditative place indefinitely; there’s a life to be lived. But for those moments when some mindfulness is needed, Franc Cinelli’s ‘Night Songs’ could be the ideal soundtrack to bathe yourself in. ‘Night Songs’ is an album with a clear thematic purpose that emphatically realises its ambition.
“Night Songs” available now.
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