Stewart Francke
's
Motor City Serenade
is a daring exercise in musical anthropology, cultural license, and Detroit aesthetic savvy.
Francke
has been on the scene a long time, regarded highly in Detroit, but basically underappreciated elsewhere. That may change with the issue of this album, released by Great Britain's
Zane
label -- the crew that released great titles by
Delaney Bramlett
,
Ellis Hooks
, and
Eddie Hinton
.
pulls out all the stops creatively. There are layers of singers -- including the
gospel
group
Commissioned
Barb Payton
, and living
rock
legend
Mitch Ryder
-- elegant yet edgy strings, spiky, taut horns, funky keyboards, and popping guitars in a mix so utterly open and ringing, it saturates the listening space in a swirl of color, texture, and grit. But
Motown
isn't the only sound at work in
's mix; there is also the romantic sophistication of
Brian Wilson
and the wild abandon of
Jack Nitszche
. The title track is a lullaby to Detroit, romantically name-dropping some of its heroes, from
Marvin Gaye
and
Nolan Strong
to
techno
's "holy trinity" (
Juan Atkins
Derrick May
Kevin Saunderson
) -- all of it fueled by
Funk Brothers
backing
. HIs singing voice has grown deeper and wider over the years. It contains a kind of reckless maturity and nuance that is the badge of experience and beneat- the-skin expression. He's doesn't worry about anything but getting the song to be true to itself as song. He's got the necessary
soul
chops, but he is also a fine
singer -- when he and
Ryder
cut loose in
"Upon Seeing Simone,"
over a rollicking horn section, they send chills down the spine. But sonics and vocal prowess only tell part of the story;
's true gift in his ability to write words so utterly and poetically impure, and melodies that project them from the mix to the consciousness of the listener. For
, backyards, street cruising, the triumphs and tragedies of family, and fleeting love are all wrapped in the same bundle, all cards in the same slippery deck. He can find the divine in the heat of a kiss, or the supernatural in glare of city lights on wet pavement; he can discern the measure of morality in a broken heart. Tracks like
"American Twilight"
lament the craziness of the nation in the beating of a man on a suburban roadway.
"Deep Soul Kiss"
expresses the need to continue in relationship in the midst of struggle, all the while acknowledging the power of eros to transcend. Yeah, this is real people's poetry: it carries within it the rough mystery of the urban street and the mundane magic of suburban epiphanies and doubts. And it's as romantic as a muggy summer night. This is music that's more interested in asking pertinent questions than looking for quick-fix answers. And in its quest there lies unintentional moral instruction as in the utterly moving slip hop of
"You Better Get to Know Your Broken Heart."
is a celebration of contradictions: the beauty found in the ruins and history of a city that has lost its mooring but not its will to survive, the tense experiences of the people who inhabit its surroundings, the anxiousness found in searching for pearls of wisdom and excitement in the grind of everyday life in what was once the city that articulated the American Dream. And
has brought them all to bear here, allowing the voices of doubt, faith, regret, despair, temerity, and desire to speak for themselves in a truly exciting set of 13 songs that is as tough, tender, and ass-shaking as the city it reflects. ~ Thom Jurek