Neal Francis – In Plain Sight

03-12-2021

Neal Francis (born Neal Francis O'Hara on September 4, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his solo project. Francis was born in Livingston, New Jersey and moved to Oak Park, Illinois at the age of 1. He attended Oak Park River Forest High School, performing in multiple bands. Francis took piano lessons from the age of 4, and studied with boogie woogie legend Erwin Helfer. He studied architecture for two years at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Francis began playing professionally as a teenager and by the age of 18 was touring Europe with Muddy Waters' son and backing up other prominent blues artists coast-to-coast. In 2012, Francis joined popular Chicago instrumental funk band The Heard. With Francis at the creative helm, The Heard transformed into a national act, touring with The New Mastersounds and The Revivalists, and appearing at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest and Bear Creek. Despite the success of the band, Francis' struggles with addiction led to him leaving The Heard in 2015. After getting sober, Francis assembled a team of musicians, calling on bassist Mike Starr (The Heard) and drummer PJ Howard (The Revivalists, The Heard). He linked up with producer Sergio Rios (Orgone, Cee Lo Green, Alicia Keys) and self-funded a trip to Killion Sound in Los Angeles to record the initial batch of material that became that album "Changes". Francis finished recording basic tracks for "Changes" in Los Angeles in February 2018 and spent the following months doing overdubs in Chicago with engineer Mike Novak (who also recorded demos for the project, later to be released as Changes (Demos) in 2021). Francis composed every song and also wrote the horn arrangements for the entire album. Signed to Karma Chief Records (a subsidiary of Colemine Records) in late 2018, the first single "These Are The Days" was released on January 16, 2019. "Changes, Pt. 1" came out May 7, 2019, and both singles were released on a 7" on May 31, 2019. "Changes" was released on Karma Chief Records on September 20, 2019 to critical acclaim. Channeling everyone from Harry Nilsson to Dr. John, Neal Francis' sophomore effort, the dreamy, creatively experimental "In Plain Sight", draws on everything from Greek mythology to broken hearts for inspiration. And the result is almost always eclectically sublime. The piano-heavy album continues the trajectory of his 2019 debut "Changes", a solid evolution of modern R&B, with '70 style choruses and an almost dream-like mix of swirling synth and guitars scattered throughout. The record opens on "Alameda Apartments," the strongest track here, about moving on after a breakup, telling a very specific character -driven tale but one that is certainly relatable to just about anyone. The next song, "Problems," carries a strong '70s vibe and elsewhere, Derek Trucks offers slide guitar to "Can't Stop the Rain," a solid mix of New Orleans-style funk and Francis' laidback delivery. The record closes on the trippy "Say Your Prayers." "In Plain Sight" was written and recorded almost entirely in a church, St. Peter's UCC. Oddly Francis admits to not being religious but took a music-ministry job at the Chicago church in 2017. After a breakup, he asked the folks running St. Peter's if he could move in there. "I thought I'd only stay a few months, but it turned into over a year, and I knew I had to do something to take advantage of this miraculous gift of a situation," Francis says. The result is "In Plain Sight", and while not exactly a concept album there are certainly themes that run through the track list tying the songs together. The album is a sound of Francis dealing with a slew of changes and trying to make sense of what's next. And even though the pandemic was not central to his songwriting, the feelings of uncertainty expressed throughout this record resonate strongly with what many of us have been through the past year and a half. Neal Francis' sophomore album offers up a body of work both enchanting and painfully self-aware. Recorded entirely on tape and mixed by Grammy Award-winner Dave Fridmann (Spoon, Tame Impala, Flaming Lips), the record spotlights Francis's refined yet free-spirited piano playing, an instrument he took up at age four. The songs came to life over the course of a tumultuous year spent living in a (possibly) haunted church in Chicago. The result : a portrait of profound upheaval and weary resilience.

1 Alameda Apartments 4:39

2 Problems 3:58

Can't Stop the Rain 4:06

4 D'Artagnan 0:40

5 Prometheus 5:11

6 Sentimental Garbage 6:06

7 Asleep 4:44

8 BNYLV 5:56

9 Say Your Prayers 4:20

Acoustic Guitar - Mike Novak (track : 3)

Backing Vocals - Allie Bradford (tracks : 2, 3, 9), Brandon Lampkin (tracks : 2, 3, 9), Carlile (tracks: 2, 3, , Tramaine Parker (tracks : 2, 3, 9)

Bass - Mike Starr