Today's Country

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard Frankz has quietly been making a name for himself through his songs appearing on Paul Loveless’ CDX compilations, an appearance on the CCMA awards, etc… After his two previous albums gained him some attention, he has returned with his third effort, “The Traveler.” Frankz is no stranger to true rock-n-roll but has taken to fusing in some modern era country into the mix all wrapped together with a dusty honky-tonk feel as is displayed right from the get go with album opener “Just Being Me.” Frankz continues to display a honky-tonk/rock-n-roll style as you dive into the album on tracks like “One Step Forward.” However, a majority of the album focuses on his ability to craft a well-written ballad that seems to be Frankz forte. Your first introduction to his ballads is with the title track to the album as the piano brings you into the song and his vocal, which for some reason often reminds me of Jimmy Buffet, carries the song while the music takes a bit of a backseat. The ballads like “Just Spending Time(With You),” show Frankz ability to tug at your heart with a lyric that focuses on a single dad’s relationship with his child. Though a style like this, which combines 60’s styled rock-n-roll with a bit of a country influence isn’t really mainstream these days, Frankz is onto something unique with his style and is well worth giving a listen to.