Utter charming DIY power pop is what makes you root for Frank Marzano. The Edinboro, PA transplant has all the right influences (The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Klaatu) “bands with a real emphasis on songwriting.” he says. The songs have sunny, cheerful melodies and the arrangements are top notch as well – best compared to Chris Breetveld (The Breetles). Opening with the Merseybeat of “A Girl named Sam” it jangles away and should put a smile on your face. Marzano’s vocals work best here, his slightly nasal delivery resembles Mike Love a bit, so it takes getting used to. The album is a hodge-podge of Beatlesque pop-rock, ballads, doo-wop, and folk, tackling such diverse subjects as romance, city life, divorce and single motherhood. The lyrics are fun and often full of dry humor – in fact, he most often sings in an earnest first person narrative. He tries to pick up a single mom in “Hot Mama” mentioning all the selling points including “I’m patient with kids.” Another highlight is the descriptive of “Bleecker Street” complete with idealized “homeless who discreetly ask for change.” All the instrumentation is quality too, from Phil Popotnik’s sax solo to Frank’s own guitar breaks. But it’s got it’s flaws, too. One can fault the length of many songs, for example “Hard To Get” is over four minutes and wears out it’s welcome after two. The ending piano epic “Matthew/Neurotica” clocks in at over eight minutes. Other tunes are just creepy (“She Does Math”). But when it gets it right like in “My Christmas Wish” – it’s a breath of fresh air and Frank’s honest sweetness comes through. This is a guy that just loves this kind of music and it shows – he played at The Baggot Inn in NYC and mentioned “If I’m capable of playing Carnegie Hall, then I want to do that. If the best I can do is a street corner in Edinboro, PA, then I’ll do that, too.” He certainly has talent. Fans of innocent sweet pop will overlook the lack of self editing here and revel in the quality melodies and musicianship.
Frank’s Site | CD Baby | Itunes