Before the nightfall” took one small band, one week and a lot of hard work to produce. After the success of his big, bold first album “One by one”, Robert Francis chose to do things a little differently with his new album, making it much simpler and less conventional.
Hailing from Los Angeles, Francis was brought up in a musical household and even had the honour of being Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ John Frusciante’s only guitar student. With this support, he was destined for success.
Like an uncut diamond, Francis’ voice is rough and jagged yet uniquely beautiful. The sound is completely unrefined, making it a refreshing listen. “Junebug” tells the story of being in love with a troubled girl, with the dominant instrumentals showing Francis’ heartbreak. He sings “You were beautiful then, you’re just a coke jaw now” as the drums build to a powerful crescendo and make your hairs stand on end.
Unfortunately, “Junebug” is the most memorable song on the album. Despite his unique voice, each new song offers nothing new or exciting.
With so many indie singer/songwriters creating similar sounds, Francis needed to produce something distinguishable. “Before The Nightfall” just does not deliver. On “I Like The Air”, he experiments with echoing vocals and funky guitar riffs, which gets your head bobbing. However, it is not groundbreaking. “Mescaline” is another bubble-gum love song that just loses its taste too quickly.
With such raw, passionate vocals I really wanted to love this album yet the mild lyrical content and lukewarm musicians left me disappointed.
For me, Robert Francis symbolises the beautiful “boy-next-door” stereotype. From afar, he seems perfect. He writes pretty songs and makes your heart melt. But after spending a bit of time with him, you realise he is just like everyone else and you forget why you thought he was so special to begin with.
By Kate Chambers
