Poetry of the Deed

by

Frank Turner

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I am a big fan of Frank Turner. I originally "found" him on youtube doing a Propagandhi cover and haven't stopped listening since. I had great expectations for Poetry of the Deed. And I'm not disappointed. I think the full band complements him quite nicely. It does take some getting used to as much of his music in the past (but certainly not all) is just him and his acoustic guitar. The inclusion of a full band on many of the songs on this record, I feel, allows Frank to explore some more musical territory (rock, country) all the while keeping his punk base and steering clear of trite pop sounds. His acoustic guitar is always at the forefront of each song and his messages have not wavered. While an individual song is fixed in the time it was recorded, the artists moves on and his future work will reflect the changes in her/him as a person. Quite honestly, much of Frank appears to remain the same--he writes from his head and strums from his soul. A genuine melding of intelligence and emotion.

Well done, Frank. Another gem.

My first exposure to Frank Tuner was this summer when he opened for The Offspring for the first show of The Offspring's American Tour. Strolling to center stage was this tall, thin lad from across the pond...just Frank and his guitar....and he blew the crowd away. That night I went home, jumped on-line and proceeded to order all of Frank's CD that I could find. And I enjoyed them all immensely. There was such a fine story telling quality to his songs; a true song writer and musician, the likes of which I hadn't heard in quite some time. So it was with great anticipation that I awaited the release of "Poetry Of The Deeds". I listen to it now for the third time as I write these words and sorry to say, I am stuggling to find one song that has any of the old Frank Turner that I know and enjoy. He needs to drop the band and the attempt at this new more "Rock" sound that he has incorporated into this CD. "Faithful Son" is the only track that strikes me on the plus side. I wonder what the rest of the CD would sound like if he had recorded it in a more accoustical tone like his past efforts. And don't get me wrong, he is still a good artist, but his strengths are his voice and his ability to play a simple song with emotion and with feelings that tug at your heart. This CD falls way short of that.