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City Lights by Ron Franklin
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fave it Modern Folk | Roots Rock
12 tracks | 43 minutes
Released Mar 2007
on Memphis International Records
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- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:02 Warming By The Devil's Fire lyrics BUY MP3 03:02 Warming By The Devil's Fire lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:02 Warming By The Devil's Fire
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:12 Little Suzie lyrics BUY MP3 04:12 Little Suzie lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:12 Little Suzie
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:30 What Is This Present Moment lyrics BUY MP3 03:30 What Is This Present Moment lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:30 What Is This Present Moment
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:44 Lula Wall lyrics BUY MP3 03:44 Lula Wall lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:44 Lula Wall
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:43 Black Lightin' lyrics BUY MP3 03:43 Black Lightin' lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:43 Black Lightin'
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:26 How Free Will I Be This Morning lyrics BUY MP3 03:26 How Free Will I Be This Morning lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:26 How Free Will I Be This Morning
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:41 Thirty Days lyrics BUY MP3 03:41 Thirty Days lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:41 Thirty Days
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:42 That'll Never Happen No More lyrics BUY MP3 02:42 That'll Never Happen No More lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:42 That'll Never Happen No More
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:18 Beyond The River lyrics BUY MP3 04:18 Beyond The River lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:18 Beyond The River
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:41 Let The Rodeo Begin lyrics BUY MP3 03:41 Let The Rodeo Begin lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:41 Let The Rodeo Begin
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:32 Gloryland lyrics BUY MP3 03:32 Gloryland lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:32 Gloryland
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:40 City Lights lyrics BUY MP3 03:40 City Lights lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:40 City Lights
A self-taught multi-instrumentalist and the original songs he writes can be evocative, plaintive and rocking.
Editorial review
At the dawn of the 21st century, Memphis, TN is still one of the last true homes of the blues, but there's an undeclared war taking place between younger musicians who take the structures and lyrical conceits of traditional blues and mess them up to create new sounds and traditionalists who respectfully follow the template set by their musical forbearers. Ron Franklin is a Memphis-based singer and songwriter who seems to have one foot in each camp; he's worked with Jack Yarber of the Oblivians and members of Tav Falco's Panther Burns, but he also has a clear appreciation of old-school country blues and its cultural roots. Franklin's album City Lights often sounds like an effort to bridge the gap between these two schools of thought, with limited success: his acoustic guitar and mandolin work are commendable throughout, his songs are well-crafted, and he's put together a great band for these sessions, anchored by legendary keyboard man Jim Dickinson. But Franklin's vocals are his downfall on City Lights: his frequently wobbly tenor sounds like the work of a guy who deliberately sings flat for effect (which becomes all the more obvious when he pulls out a number where he hits the notes just right), and there are more than a few moments on this album where it's hard to tell if Franklin is joking or playing it straight. Which is especially annoying since it's clear this guy has the talent to cut a solid modern-day blues album that avoids clich?s in favor of fresh songs and ideas, and hopefully he'll make that record one of these days. In the meantime, City Lights is an interesting but flawed introduction to an artist who seemingly is still hammering his musical vision into shape. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
Bio / Background
Ron Franklin is an enigmatic young musician whose music is, at once, raw and polished. He’s a self-taught multi-instrumentalist and the songs he writes original songs can be evocative, plaintive and rocking. In short, Ron Franklin is one of a kind. Folk, blues, country, old timey are labels he could easily wear but chooses not to.
He began his musical wanderings at the age of four when he picked up the harmonica found himself playing Leadbelly songs and Irish reels, later trying his hand at the fiddle and, later, a gut string guitar. He heard records by Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley and The Spaniels and his grandparents’ collection of Malaco, Chess and country records had a profound influence.
As a child, he never lived in one place very long, he deadpans, “I was raised mostly in a U-Haul.
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