With
Tommy LiPuma
and
Al Schmitt
back producing,
Michael Franks
again moves in a different direction on
One Bad Habit
, with mixed results. Easily considered his commercial breakthrough, the album often lacks the lyrical and imaginative songwriting of previous efforts and sounds at times like two different albums. The contributions of
Clare
Andre Fischer
help bolster some of the more ambitious music, while players like
Eddie Gomez
,
Eric Gale
David Spinozza
at times appear underutilized. The title cut is another example of
Franks
' wry, observant takes on love and lust, yet musically it is a little lightweight. Still, considering the players, the occasionally adventurous musical ideas, and the basic
jazz
sound,
was able to go where very few
artists ever go in terms of attracting a larger audience and considerable airplay. ~ Steve Matteo