Honeycomb [Import]

Certainly, any fan of the Pixies unfamiliar with Black's solo output may cry out at the apparent sacrilege this album is, yet in further examination anyone would appreciate that Honeycomb is both a sign of musical maturity and, ultimately, -I''m going out on a limb- a quiet, Country-like form of the Pixies' angst-ridden message. I know some will frown at this, so I don't ask to believe me but give this idea a chance.

For those who already enjoy Black's former albums -particularly with the Catholics- this may be a reason to rejoice. Although, to my taste, it may not reach the emotional depths of Dog In The Sand, Honeycomb is a pretty solid album.

The story goes that, on the eve of his first Pixies tour in years, he retreated to Memphis with a bunch of songs he's been wanting to record -most of which are his own compositions- and with the glorious aid of some session-playing legends, proceeded to lay down these tracks.

Speaking of "the band," since these people have a lot to do with the quality of this album, the work of Steve Cropper on guitar, Spooner Oldham on keyboards and Anton Fig on drums, definitely stand out. In addition to them, Buddy Miller's presence must be mantioned although the lack of specific reference makes me unable to say for sure what tunes he's on.

Now on to the songs, there are several great ones here. Specifically: "Selkie Bride" with its great chorus supported by Ellis Hooks' vocals and some of the most honest lines I've heard, in an after-the-breakup song -"if you return again / I'll be the saddest man / my lip will burn your skin / if you return again / please don't return again"- which are likely to stay in your mind for a while.

Besides "Selkie Bride," I'd list Doug Sams's "Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day," the country-like Leonard Cohen'ish feel of "My Life Is In Storage," "Violet" and the Southern Soul mood of "Dark End Of The Street."
All in all, this an album to own and appreciate through repeated listenings -particularly in the early morning or late at night- and let yourself be enveloped by the unhurried feel of Black's confessions. This is not mellow but quiet, the restrained passion of personal wisdom, fierce in its own way, willing to let you in on some truths about love and loss.

Some musicians have a magical touch, and Frank Black has put his brilliant touch on everything he has played. From influencing Kurt Cobain of Nirvana while Frank led the Pixies to his incredibly creative solo and Catholics albums, Black has mastered reinventing himself at every turn. Many fans hear a new album and immediately wish for the same sound as the preceding one. But wait just a minute. Spin that thing again and some of the grooves and nuances start to sink in a little. Spin it once more and you find yourself catching the unique chord progression that somehow no-one has ever used in this way before. Pretty soon, you are stuck on this cd and can't shake loose of it, even when it's not playing. That's the thing with his music: it is built for the long haul.

Honeycomb will astound many fans with it's smooth precision. All the performances are spot on, the sound is elegant and cool, and it combines these fantastic musicians of the past several decades with Frank Black's modern creativity. I'm ten listens in and it's getting better and sweeter every time. Buy it now and start your own learning curve. You won't regret it!!

I was excited about this one. Something about the unexpected collaboration of Frank Black and this amazing cast of Memphis/Muscle Shoals session cats (Roger Hawkins, Dan Penn, David Hood, Spooner Oldham, Steve Cropper, etc) just sounded intriguing. And I'm not really a big Pixies/Black fan.

But I was scared when I saw Tiven's name down as producer. I almost put it back on the shelf. Generally, he makes tepid, unabashedly awkwardly retro R&B records in which he imposes his mediocre songwriting and narrow concept of soul all over the proceedings. I've never liked any of his records, except for the Yankees record, which was more of a punk/new-wave thing. I'm happy to say he's strictly hands-off here, allowing Frank and the band (with input from Dan Penn that borders on co-production) to lay back and cut loose.

And it is a surprisingly laid-back record. This is not the high-strung Frank of old. But the grooves suit him well. His songwriting sounds equally off-kilter and startling -- maybe more so -- with this more conventional backdrop. The supporting crew do what they do best, begging the question why don't they do it more often! Penn's touch as adviser and engineer is tangible and brilliant. Frank even gets away with singing "Dark End of the Street" with soul and an endearingly clumsy honesty.

Of the original tunes, "Go Find Your Saint" and "Honey Comb" warrent extended replays. But the whole thing has such a seductive, warm groove to it, it'll lull you into its lair and, just as your taking your shoes of, stick a lyrical barb into your back. Very freakin' cool.

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