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Abandoned Garden

Abandoned Garden is an album by American vocalist Michael Franks. Released in September 1995 by Warner Bros. Records, it was Franks' thirteenth studio album and his final album of new material with Warner Bros.[1]

Background

The album is a dedication to the memory of Brazilian jazz musician, singer and composer Antônio Carlos Jobim. Franks had drawn artistic inspiration throughout his career from Jobim, and had collaborated with him in the past.[2]

"Somehow Our Love Survives" marked the return of keyboardist and lyricist Joe Sample, with whom Franks had collaborated on numerous albums, including Sleeping Gypsy in 1977 and Blue Pacific in 1990.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Michael Franks, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Must Be Paradise" 6:10
2."Like Water, Like Wind" 5:19
3."A Fool's Errand" 4:35
4."Hourglass" 4:45
5."Cinema"Franks, Antônio Carlos Jobim4:52
6."Eighteen Aprils" 4:35
7."Somehow Our Love Survives"Franks, Joe Sample5:00
8."Without Your Love" 5:22
9."In the Yellow House" 5:21
10."Bird of Paradise"Djavan, Franks, Max Frederico, Flávia Virgínia5:39
11."Abandoned Garden" 5:24

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Down Beat[4]

Writing for AllMusic, Ross Boissoneau praised the input of "heavy hitters" but lamented it was "neither Franks' best effort nor particularly evocative of the great Brazilian composer" the album was dedicated to. He concluded "while the revolving door of stars has served Franks well on other recordings, here they don't seem to add up to much."[3]

Down Beat magazine rated the album "good" in their March 1996 issue, reporting it to be "a genuine keeper, a guilty pleasure. Somehow Franks, a song stylist more than a jazz vocalist, once again gets his way, singing his indelible melodies that before you know it are under your skin, into your veins and etched into your soul..."[4]

Personnel

Musicians

Production

  • Russell Ferrante – producer (1, 2, 7)
  • Jimmy Haslip – producer (1, 2, 7)
  • Matt Pierson – producer (3-6, 8-11)
  • Gil Goldstein – producer (4, 6, 10, 11)
  • Michael Colina – co-producer (8)
  • James Farber – recording, mixing
  • Matthew Lamonica – recording
  • Tom Mark – recording
  • Glen Marchese – assistant engineer
  • Greg Calbi – mastering at Masterdisk (New York, NY)
  • Charles Blenzig – music director
  • Tony Oates – music director
  • Dana Watson – production coordinator
  • Don Scardino – project coordinator
  • Dana Williams – project coordinator
  • Christine Caro – art direction, design
  • Ken Schles – photography
  • Claudia Franks – additional photography
  • Fredrik Nilsen – additional photography

References

  1. ^ "Discography in Order of Release". MichaelFranks.com. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
  2. ^ O'Toole, Kit (2008-03-26). "Michael Franks's Abandoned Garden An Eloquent Tribute to Jobim". Blogcritics Music. Archived from the original on 2012-04-13. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
  3. ^ a b Boissoneau, Ross. Abandoned Garden – Michael Franks at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
  4. ^ a b "Michael Franks – Abandoned Garden CD". CDUniverse. Retrieved 2012-03-11.

Bibliography