American Troubadour (2020 Reissue)
The forgotten legend of the 1960s, Jackson C. Frank a craftsmen of folk, is recognised once more in a recent reissue of his discography. American Troubadour pays homage to the tracks produced by Paul Simon on Frank’s eponymous 1965 debut, bringing light to the under-appreciated and relatively unknown component of what folk has since become.
Brimful of warm melancholia, Frank is able to transcend the maudlin image of the troubadour, gracing us with lilting melodies that carry us away to somewhere quiet. With fingers that dance upon nylon strings, capturing an excruciating timbre which melts with the delicate vibrato of his tenor, Frank provides a mantra for those held hostage by their own perpetual blues. American Troubadour not only includes the romantic wailings of 'Marlene', the dark humour within 'My Name Is Carnival' and the sombre defeat on 'Just Like Anything', but debuts 5 tracks never released before; each as wistful as the next. It’s not the most joyous of records, yet its perennial sadness is somewhat soothed in the immaculate beauty in the music he was able to conjure in a life dictated by trauma, hardship and loss. American Troubadour is a haunting congregation of poetry for the weary vagabond; an album to be treated with utmost reverence and care.
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