Summary
Abandoned Garden is an album by American vocalist Michael Franks. Released in 1995 by Warner Bros. Records, it was Franks' thirteenth studio album and his final album of new material with Warner Bros.[1]
| Abandoned Garden | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 57:02 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer |
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| Michael Franks chronology | ||||
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Background edit
The album is a dedication to the memory of Brazilian jazz musician, singer and composer Antônio Carlos Jobim. Franks had drawn artistic inspiration throughout his career from Jobim, and had collaborated with him in the past.[2]
"Somehow Our Love Survives" marked the return of keyboardist and lyricist Joe Sample, with whom Franks had collaborated on numerous albums, including Sleeping Gypsy in 1977 and Blue Pacific in 1990.
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Michael Franks, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "This Must Be Paradise" | 6:10 | |
| 2. | "Like Water, Like Wind" | 5:19 | |
| 3. | "A Fool's Errand" | 4:35 | |
| 4. | "Hourglass" | 4:45 | |
| 5. | "Cinema" | Franks, Antônio Carlos Jobim | 4:52 |
| 6. | "Eighteen Aprils" | 4:35 | |
| 7. | "Somehow Our Love Survives" | Franks, Joe Sample | 5:00 |
| 8. | "Without Your Love" | 5:22 | |
| 9. | "In the Yellow House" | 5:21 | |
| 10. | "Bird of Paradise" | Djavan, Franks, Max Frederico, Flávia Virgínia | 5:39 |
| 11. | "Abandoned Garden" | 5:24 |
Reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| Down Beat | [4] |
Writing for AllMusic, Ross Boissoneau praised the input of "heavy hitters" but lamented it was "neither Franks' best effort nor particularly evocative of the great Brazilian composer" the album was dedicated to. He concluded "while the revolving door of stars has served Franks well on other recordings, here they don't seem to add up to much."[3]
Down Beat magazine rated the album "good" in their March 1996 issue, reporting it to be "a genuine keeper, a guilty pleasure. Somehow Franks, a song stylist more than a jazz vocalist, once again gets his way, singing his indelible melodies that before you know it are under your skin, into your veins and etched into your soul..."[4]
Personnel edit
Musicians edit
- Michael Franks – vocals, guitar, banjo
- Keith O'Quinn – trombone
- Randy Brecker – flugelhorn
- Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone
- Joshua Redman – soprano saxophone
- David Sanborn, Andy Snitzer – alto saxophone
- Lawrence Feldman – alto flute
- Bob Mintzer – flute, alto flute
- Eliane Elias, Russell Ferrante, Gil Goldstein, Bob James, Carla Bley – piano
- John Leventhal – electric guitar
- Chuck Loeb – guitar
- Jeff Mironov – guitar, acoustic guitar
- Diane Barere, Mark Orrin Shuman, Frederick Slotkin – cello
- Manolo Badrena – woodwinds, percussion
- Peter Erskine – drums, percussion
- Chris Parker, Lewis Nash – drums
- Don Alias, Bashiri Johnson – percussion
- Brian Mitchell – vocals
Support edit
- Jimmy Haslip, Michael Colina, Russell Ferrante – arrangement
- James Farber – audio mixer
- Ken Schles, Fredrick Nilsen – photography
- Recording at Bearsville Studios, Clinton, Make Believe Ballroom, Power Station, Sound on Sound
References edit
- ^ "Discography in Order of Release". MichaelFranks.com. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
- ^ O'Toole, Kit (2008-03-26). "Michael Franks's Abandoned Garden An Eloquent Tribute to Jobim". Blogcritics Music. Archived from the original on 2012-04-13. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
- ^ a b Boissoneau, Ross. Abandoned Garden – Michael Franks at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
- ^ a b "Michael Franks – Abandoned Garden CD". CDUniverse. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
Bibliography edit
- Abandoned Garden (CD booklet). Michael Franks. United States: Warner Bros. Records. 1995. pp. 1–5. 45998.
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