[rating=8.00]
The smooth-voiced Austinite tenor Michael Fracasso is known for his heavenly hybrid of folk, rock, country, pop, blues, roots…the list goes on. Fracasso cannot be pinned down. His sound is special, and no matter what he’s singing, you know him when you hear him. (The first time I heard him, I was upstairs in my bedroom as he played to a living room of people below me in the debut show of my parents’ house concert series in 2001. He sounded like an angel, and compelled me to listen, shyly, from the stairs.) Now, several years (and albums) later, Fracasso continues to evoke strong, emotional responses to his music. His latest release is Here Come the Savages, a hauntingly beautiful mix of originals and covers.
Working once again with producer Jim Lewis (who also worked on 2011’s Saint Monday), Fracasso stretches his range to include songs from Johnny Thunders (of the New York Dolls) and Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys). But though the covers suit Fracasso well, it is his own song, “Open”, that will etch itself into your heart and stay there, reminding you why he’s a treasure. The soft, warm acoustic guitar backing some of Fracasso’s best vocals ever. With a strong hint of Harry Nilsson and an air of psychedelic free spirited breeziness, “Open” is a tragic song about what it means to fall apart. But as with many of Fracasso’s songs, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and this terribly sad song somehow manages to be uplifting. “I’ll keep an open heart/I’ll keep my heart open,” he sings.
There’s a subtle trippyness that squiggles throughout Here Come the Savages, and it brings a kind of dreamy, fantastical quality to the songs. Another Fracasso original, “Say”, may be the peak of this sound. It’s ever so slightly distorted and equally as emotional as “Open”. Both are stellar pop songs about feeling helpless in the midst of a relationship’s demise and Fracasso manages to find the beauty in the dark place, turning it into shimmering melodies and gorgeous vocal harmonies.
Even the covers seem carefully chosen based on Fracasso’s own life experiences while making this record. Thunders’ “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory” confronts the difficulty of letting go, and Willie Cobbs’ “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” is a wailing punch in the gut. The latter moves at a slow, sultry pace, and Fracasso gives it his all, with vocals so dramatic he could be crying them out. Even the more up-tempo “How Can I Be Sure” (originally by The Rascals) is ultimately a song about being uncertain of your place in a relationship and in the world. “Whenever I am away from you/I want to die/Cause you know I want to stay with you,” he sings.
Though Fracasso is going through some challenging changes in his personal life, this record is a magnificent reflection of that. It plays on nostalgia, both with the incorporation of covers of older songs, and his own references to his past. In many ways he’s looking back, but he’s also hopeful, looking toward the future.
