For a close to 50 years Michael Franks has appealed to romantics and lovers of intelligent and passionate R&B and jazz. While he seemed like an unlikely R&B jazz idol with his breathy vocals, playful lyrics and emotional songs, that’s exactly what happened. At his best, though his voice and intellect, Franks gave voice an interesting male archetype — one that was sensitive though not wimpy, wry yet not “novelty song” humorous. While not a “love man” in the classic sense, Franks certainly is and was libidinous in words and tone — and that’s also part of his appeal. All of those attributes make Franks a very unique artist and here’s ten of the songs that helped to define an interesting and varied career.
Popsicle Toes/Eggplant- (1975)
These tracks are from Franks’s second album and his 1975 Reprise effort The Art of Tea. They are separate songs but are so alike, one is difficult to think of with the other. The effortlessly jazzy “Popsicle Toes” became Franks’s first hit and a song that got in him play on many stations ranging from jazz to R&B playlist. If “Popsicle Toes” was cutesy, “Eggplant” was less so but had lyrics that were more pointed with lyrics filled with metaphors, innuendo and a cleverness that has followed his career and earned him many fans. The band on these two tracks were filled with renowned players like John Guerin, Wilton Felder, Larry Carlton…
