With a name like Donavon Frankenreiter you'd better be good.
Luckily, he is.
On the oddly monikered musician's new album, "Move By Yourself," he channels the funky sounds of '70s rock-soul with authenticity and charm. Imagine an old Stevie Wonder album mated to a vintage one from Graham Central Station. Or to a Jamiroquai CD, if it were good.
Frankenreiter nails the sound right from the first track, which opens with a fiercely chunky clavinet (recorded on vintage analog equipment, no less). That telltale sound gives way to a burning guitar solo that would do any jam band proud.
It's a far cry from the sound Frankenreiter started with.
Born in Downey, the same California town that gave us the Carpenters, 34-year-old Frankenreiter was a professional surfer before he turned to music. His path was smoothed by another wave rider turned player, Jack Johnson, who inked Frankenreiter to his Brushfire label for the singer's self-titled debut in 2004. Unfortunately, on that CD, Frankenreiter lethargically strummed soft neo-hippie ballads.
You'll find a far more animated and soulful sound on "Move By Yourself." In tracks like "The Way It Is" and "By Your Side," Frankenreiter sends his vocals gliding over grooves to create a sound that, unlike his name, soothes the ear.
Originally published on June 9, 2006
