After being away from Bunny Central, my first review for quite a while drags me into the 21st century with a download. No shiny disk to distract (and bunnies like shiny things), no cover art to admire or overblown press rhetoric to get in the way, the music has a clear run…
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Flawless" is up first and very quickly I've got an image of the Simpson episode where Bart and Millhouse join a boyband. It's complete with forced pronunciation of 'nuz' - maybe to get down with the kidz? "Free" is next and sounds even more insipid containing harmonies, faux strings and a rhythm track which would make NSYNC cringe
"Angel on Your Shoulder" stands head and shoulders above the rest of the tracks. Written with the inspiration of the car crash which Gioia suffered (I'm not going to tell the story here as the story is on his MySpace), this is the one song which doesn't sound forced, and has a genuine warmth lacking in the rest of the EP.
On the technical side, all tracks have a immaculate production and a few interesting sounds grab the ear. All the instruments have their place and the harmonies are clear, making it easy to make out some truly naff lyrics such as "…Playing your aces/With amazing graces".
Overall, the songs smack of someone trying too hard. Instead of trying to be pop/club music (which is, after all, here today - nostalgia tomorrow), the best elements of Franks music are more New Age/Electronic (without the dodgy dress sense).