Phranc Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
After a seven-year hiatus from performing and recording her own material in full-length form, this "comeback" has all of the essential Phranc elements in proper alignment: there's humor on "Yer the One" and "Cuffs"; grief is addressed during "Gary" and the gently strident "Where Were You?" And then there are the songs that make you laugh and cry, like "Ozzie and Harriet." She delivers the line "Where's my Harriet?" in her perfect voice, filled simultaneously with the dueling emotions of hope and despair that unless you're dead, chances are it will touch some part of you. L.A. cats (and kittten) Steven McDonald, Tal Bergman, Phil Parlapiano and Anna Waronker step in to fill the spaces on bass, drums, accordion and vocals respectively. ~ Denise Sullivan, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Phranc returned to form on this record of some of her strongest songs since her debut. "I Like You" and "Outta Here" are spare acoustic guitar standouts, as is her adaptation of Jonathan Richman's "Pablo Picasso," retitled "Gertrude Stein." ~ Denise Sullivan, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Folksinger Phranc attempted to bust out of the solo acoustic mode for this record, produced by Violent Femme Victor DeLorenzo. Though some of the songs, like "Folksinger," "Take Off Your Swastika" and "Martina," work beautifully, others suffer from kitsch overkill (like her cover of "I Enjoy Being a Girl" ) and are not her strongest efforts. However, "Myriam and Esther," a traditional folk ballad with a distinctly female perspective, is the type of earnest song that only Phranc seems able to pull off in post-modern times. ~ Denise Sullivan, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Jewish lesbian folksinger Phranc took the punk world by surprise when she released her militant folk record in 1985. A former punk rocker herself, Phranc set topical songs like "Noguchi" and "Everywhere I Go (I Hear the Go Go's)," the anti-suicide "Lifelover," and the sing-along "Female Mudwrestling" beside her strict cover of Dylan's "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" to great effect. Acoustic folk music had yet to be embraced by the punk/new wave underground, making Folksinger a watershed album. ~ Denise Sullivan, All Music Guide
