Stewart Francke

Stewart Francke's What We Talk Of .. When We Talk is the most important blue-eyed soul record in a musical generation...

... the sound scape is based on his reading of Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, and Gamble/Huff records that defined the border between soul and funk, right down to the wah-wah guitars. The topic is our culture's most enduring: What happens when fear is steeped in racism. With help from the excellent gospel group Commissioned, Francke finds a voice that lets him ask the right questions...

What We Talk Of .. doesn't toy with amateur deep soul. Instead, it borrows quite explicitly from the soul of the early '70s: the perfect string confections of Barry White, the sophisticated horn, rhythm and vocal arrangements of Stevie Wonder and Maurice White. It's also explicit in attempting to recapture that music's social and political atmosphere. As Craig Werner writes in the liner notes, this music comes from a place "where you catch glimpses of what the seventies might have become if we'd lived up to their long-forgotten promise." Francke is not indulging nostalgia for a polyester past; he's using abandoned musical resources to make a statement about the world we live in right now. He casts his own challenge - "All this wasting of time / when we should be writing our story / we're perfecting our lines... when we could be touching the glory." He meets it, too.

Funny thing is, Francke on his previous five albums made some of the blondest music I know. His apparent influences were the Beatles and Beach Boys, Springsteen and Bob Seger. His occasional work with the greatest of all blue-eyed soulman, Mitch Ryder seemed just a Detroit boy's way of honoring roots.

Somehow there's nothing affected about what Francke does on What We Talk Of.. Among his collaborators is the fine gospel-hip-hop group, Commissioned, and his ability to sing with them is startling. This album's best song, "Skin To Skin," is a duet with Barb Payton that takes us to the heart of the matter-race mixing, at all levels.

What We Talk Of.. itself is a metaphor for the missing cross-cultural dialogue, about pain and glory and how black and white people each experience them, that doesn't exist -- I'd say, the dialogue we lost. Except in these Ashcroft days, it's not real clear we ever had it. That's not fair though. We have had it. It animated the singing of the civil rights movement and, in a less conscious way, of early rock'n'roll. It thunders in the background of Righteous Brothers and Young Rascals records. It existed in the success of Jimi Hendrix, of Ryder, and of bands you've half-forgotten or never knew: Earth Wind and Fire, Mother's Finest, Living Colour. In a perverse way, it's part of the collaboration between Dr. Dre and Eminem right now.

If you think that's off-the-wall, consider this: Stewart Francke's eyes snapped open on how to deal with race and music because he was dealing with cancer. A bone marrow transplant saved his life, so Francke established a foundation to offer help to others who needed transplants. What he learned was that African and Asian Americans have twice as much difficulty in finding a bone marrow match, because there are so few black people in the donor pool. So he began working with Detroit's African-American community to change that. From that, came an association with black musicians so intense that the blondest musician I know has now made this intensely soulful record.

What Francke did is a long way from easy. You can't get to the place he reaches on What We Talk Of.. without paying a great price. Still, it's a lot cheaper than the one you pay for not going there.

- Dave Marsh

- playboy

please go to www.stewartfrancke.com for major reviews. - general

UK The Independent
Stewart Francke **** (4 stars)
Motor City Serenade, ZANE RECORDS
01 April 2005

Like Remy Shand, Stewart Francke is a blue-eyed soul boy who has steeped himself so thoroughly in the details of his chosen obsession - in his case, the classic soul sound of his hometown Detroit - that his best work could almost pass as authentic. It helps if you have access to Motown's old Funk Brothers studio crew, as Francke does on a couple of cuts here, notably the title track. But there's a generosity of spirit and articulate social conscience in operation that sit as well on his shoulders as they did on those of Marvin, Curtis and Stevie, particularly on the protest-soul numbers such as "American Twilights" and the three-part suite that concludes the album, starting with "From Where Shall Comfort Come": "Let the four winds blow from the White House to the slum/ Good times are vanity when they're only good to some," sings Francke. Apart from the Southside Johnny-style R&B of "Upon Seeing Simone" and the melancholy "Better Get to Know Your Broken Heart", the album marshalls the requisite clavinet, electric piano, organ, strings, horns and wah-wah guitar with consummate skill, building up a meticulous Motown repro sound best exemplified by "Motor City Serenade" itself, which celebrates Detroit's multi-faceted musical heritage.
By Andy Gill

London Times, UK April 02, 2005
Soul
Stewart Francke **** (4 stars)
Motor City Serenade (Zane)

This singer-songwriter from Detroit stands out from the crowd because of his soul-hardened voice and collection of thoughtful, user-friendly songs. His debt to his home town is revealed in the title track, which pays tribute to a raft of Motor City artists (see feature, page 18), including Marvin Gaye and Nolan Strong. And just to reinforce the feeling, he is backed on that track by Motown’s original Funk Brothers, including Jack Ashford and Joe Hunter. Another Detroit legend, Mitch Ryder, also lends vocal support on the 13 numbers that vary from the deft late-night stylings of Deep Soul Kiss to the altogether more funky Prowlin’. An artist who has battled leukaemia, Francke has a cutting edge that has already made his name in his native Michigan. With luck, he could do the same over here in the UK.

Detroit Free Press
Francke's full of Motown love, funk --Motor City Serenade. Zane Records
May 29, 2005

The centerpiece of this committed collection of 13 tracks is the title song, a love letter to the hardworking, music-loving city that Stewart Francke so clearly adores. A virtual compendium of Detroit references -- think Stroh's, Mitch Ryder, "the techno holy trio," Stoney & Wojo, Soupy Sales -- "Motor City Serenade" is built on a bass line and string arrangements that practically scream Hitsville, appropriate considering that members of Motown's fabled backing band, the Funk Brothers, played on the track.

Actually, the entire album is almost bursting with Motown and other '70s R&B and soul cues, particularly the string and horn charts and Francke's voice, which has taken on a slightly raspier and earthier tone as he's aged. All this might be a surprise to those who remember the longtime musician's earlier material, which was in a more traditional pop-folk vein. But the transition that began with 2001's "What We Talk Of ... When We Talk" and was roughly concurrent with a life-threatening bout with cancer feels complete -- and legitimate -- as Francke exhibits a wiser, sometimes weary, but ultimately heart-a-bursting persona. He's so obviously genuine about the material that he isn't afraid of engaging in a little foreplay with sentimentality, though he smartly stops short of going schmaltz all the way.

Among the especially effective (and affecting) tracks are "Skin to Skin," which has a playful, tender sensuality; the pleading "God I Need an Answer"; "Upon Seeing Simone," a humorous tale of a man who's sweating it when a certain someone shows up unexpectedly; and "American Twilights," which conjures the vibe of "What's Going On"-era Marvin Gaye -- no easy trick and indicative of the skillful touch that Francke and his players bring throughout the disc.
By Steve Byrne, Free Press staff writer


On "Keep Your Faith, Darling," the opening track on Stewart Francke*s brilliant fifth album, the singer-songwriter sets the musical and thematic tone for the 10 songs to follow. Cradled in vocal harmony, riding a delectable melody, Francke recalls the mantra his wife whispered to him as he lay in the hospital last year recovering from leukemia: "Keep Your Faith, Darling/Everything*s gonna be all right tonight." Swimming In Mercury is easily Francke *s best effort to date, the most potent expression of his longtime faith in hope and the human spirit. The album conveys the humility, triumph and enlightenment that accompanied his cancer battle, but is imbued with a poetic grace that keeps it from reading like just another mushy tale about dignity and hardship. Taking its sonic cues from 1998's SunflowerSoulSerenade at times--with its spiritual overtones and adept pop grooming--it comes off like some great lost George Harrison LP from 1971. Elsewhere--on songs like "Fathers and Sons" and "The Branch Will Not Break"--Francke recalls the plaintive earthiness of his earlier work. Keeping the faith, indeed.

~Brian McCollum~
Detroit Free Press
On the opening chord and angelic chorus of Swimming In Mercury, former Saginawian, cancer survivor, and undeniable musical talent Stewart Francke sets the tone for a collection of new material that chronicles his own tale of Hell and Redemption. To say that this new release is a 'masterpiece' would be tritely dismissive; rather, it consciously delves into classic archetypes of Rock & Roll with a majesty that could only be born out of tribulation and hard-won triumph. Francke's fifth release on his Blue Boundary label is both a culmination of his previous 'confessional' style of songwriting, and a breakthrough in terms of staking new territory on that rather tenuous space between heaven & hell that rockers (and humanity in general) tends to tread. Indeed, if the overall 'tone' of this work is concisely capsulized, it occupies that ubiquitous space between challenge and achievement, with the power of collective realization more an incidental 'frosting' on the cake of individual truth, which in Francke's case embraces the notion that it is equally important to have faith in the tangible blessings of this earthy world as it is to have faith in the intangible promise of heavenly redemption. Swimming In Mercury is a major contribution by an important and emerging artist. Full of melodicism, soul, passion, horror, fear, courage, and the 'politics' of disease, it is rendered in a transcendent manner that not only soothes and stirs but also inspires the soul.


~Robert E. Martin, Editor & Publisher, Review Magazine




In Craig Werner's wonderful book A Change is Gonna Come, he writes about the gospel impulse, "the belief that life's burdens can be transformed into hope, salvation, the promise of redemption." Stewart Francke's "Swimming in Mercury" is no gospel album, but Francke's musical response to his own year of personal hell and redemption is currently Exhibit A in making the case that the impulse isn't tied down to the genre from which it gets its name.

The fifth full-length album from the Detroit-area singer comes a little more than a year after his diagnosis with chronic myelogenous leukemia. He's currently cancer-free, something surely due in part to a painful bone marrow transplant, but also due to his own personal faith--in himself, in those
around him, and in God. Swimming in Mercury captures these struggles and triumphs lyrically, and its sound is one of hard-won joy, full of choruses soaring toward heaven and rhythms as powerful as the human heartbeat. That he was able to transform his experience into music isn't unusual. That he
was able to transform it into music so strikingly powerful and timeless is.

Francke's aesthetic is a lot like Bruce Springsteen's, not so much because it echoes the Boss' sounds -- though "The Valley" would have fit nicely on Born to Run, with its majestic piano and layered backing vocals -- but because, like Springsteen, Francke reinvigorates classic rock and pop
archetypes. The album opens with "Keep Your Faith Darling," which sounds like it could be the Beach Boys until its chorus, where the chords change in an interval that Brian Wilson never would have used. Suddenly, it's a Raspberries' power-pop classic. While such comparisons don't vanish -- you
can hear Jackson Browne here, U2 there -- they cease to mean much in the face of music this unabashedly romantic and hopeful. "Keep Your Faith Darling" sets the tone for the album, which is all about holding on to the things you believe at the same time you stare into the abyss. As "Heaven and Earth" reminds us, it's just as important -- maybe more -- to have faith in earthly things as it is to have faith in God or heaven. Indeed, even as he's reassuring his wife to hang onto the good times they've shared, he makes it clear he's not ready to surrender to the afterlife just yet: "If I'm between heaven and earth/let me fall to where I'm from/let me fall to where I know I'm loved for sure." To paraphrase a line Springsteen's been using on his current tour, it's not about believing in life everlasting. It's about believing in life right now.

"For Want of a Nail" could have been just a cliched rumination on how great events can turn on trivial happenings. Francke turns it into something anthemic, with a gospel-tinged chorus that repeats the line "love's falling down on everybody" with a Pentecostal fervor so high you can feel it
drenching your skin. It's a level of emotional intensity he reaches often on Swimming in Mercury, sonic proof that he follows the directions he tells us he gave his kids: "Live with all your guts and soul and heart, every day." With "The Branch Will Not Break" and "Fathers and Sons," he explores the fundamental gospel impulse belief that our experiences are inextricably tied to those around us. For good or ill, none of us are ever really on our own. As tough as those relationships can be, Francke seems to be saying that, in the end, they're what truly define us. Francke draws his characters with the same degree of sympathy and detail with which he recounts his own experiences: the Latvian man who turns his confusion with America into rage against hip-hop kids, the rock 'n' roll girl who's as beautiful as she is hopeless: "her heels are too high; her hair is too high; she is too high."

"Letter From Ten Green" deals with death most directly, but it's the most hopeful song on the album, recounting the 4 a.m. news that a little girl in his hospital floor has died. He turns his fear, rage, and confusion into the energy to write a manifesto to his children, one that sums up all of Swimming in Mercury's themes. Along with the liner notes, it's also where Francke shows his sense of humor, calling on his nurse ("Florence Nightenmare") to give him the narcotic Dilaudid: "Thank God for Dilaudid. Put the guy that invented the stuff into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or something."

By the time the album ends with Francke's triumphant promise to himself and those he loves that he'll walk out of the Valley of the Shadow, he's reached out and touched our sense of mortality, our incorrigible spirit, our soul's interconnectedness with all the other souls around us. In other words, he
takes us to places that it's easy to forget we've all got to go, and in the process heightens our appreciation for where we are. (Blue Boundary)
~Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen, Allmusic.com
Four Stars.

- Varied Publications

Francke's full of Motown love, funk

May 29, 2005







The centerpiece of this committed collection of 13 tracks is the title song, a love letter to the hardworking, music-loving city that Stewart Francke so clearly adores. A virtual compendium of Detroit references -- think Stroh's, Mitch Ryder, "the techno holy trio," Stoney & Wojo, Soupy Sales -- "Motor City Serenade" is built on a bass line and string arrangements that practically scream Hitsville, appropriate considering that members of Motown's fabled backing band, the Funk Brothers, played on the track.


Actually, the entire album is almost bursting with Motown and other '70s R&B and soul cues, particularly the string and horn charts and Francke's voice, which has taken on a slightly raspier and earthier tone as he's aged. All this might be a surprise to those who remember the longtime musician's earlier material, which was in a more traditional pop-folk vein. But the transition that began with 2001's "What We Talk Of ... When We Talk" and was roughly concurrent with a life-threatening bout with cancer feels complete -- and legitimate -- as Francke exhibits a wiser, sometimes weary, but ultimately heart-a-bursting persona. He's so obviously genuine about the material that he isn't afraid of engaging in a little foreplay with sentimentality, though he smartly stops short of going schmaltz all the way.


Among the especially effective (and affecting) tracks are "Skin to Skin," which has a playful, tender sensuality; the pleading "God I Need an Answer"; "Upon Seeing Simone," a humorous tale of a man who's sweating it when a certain someone shows up unexpectedly; and "American Twilights," which conjures the vibe of "What's Going On"-era Marvin Gaye -- no easy trick and indicative of the skillful touch that Francke and his players bring throughout the disc.


By Steve Byrne, Free Press staff writer




Stewart Francke performs Thursday at the Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor. $12.50. 734-761-1451. With the Rick Nease Band. Doors at 7 p.m.


A collection of Francke's writing, "Between The Ground & God: Lyrics, Essays & Interviews, 1990-2005" will be released June 15. See www.stewartfrancke.com for details.

- Knight Ridder

Album: Stewart Francke ****

Motor City Serenade, ZANE

By Andy Gill

01 April 2005

Like Remy Shand, Stewart Francke is a blue-eyed soul boy who has
steeped himself so thoroughly in the details of his chosen bsession -
in his case, the classic soul sound of his hometown Detroit - that his
best work could almost pass as authentic. It helps if you have access to Motown's old Funk Brothers studio crew, as Francke does on a couple of cuts here, notably the title track. But there's a generosity of spirit and articulate social conscience in operation that sit as well on his shoulders as they did on those of Marvin, Curtis and Stevie, particularly on the protest-soul numbers such as "American Twilights" and the three-part suite that concludes the album, starting with "From Where Shall Comfort Come": "Let the four winds blow from the White House to the slum/ Good times are vanity when they're only good to some," sings Francke. Apart from the Southside Johnny-style R&B of "Upon Seeing Simone" and the melancholy "Better Get to Know Your Broken Heart", the album marshalls the requisite clavinet, electric piano, organ, strings, horns and wah-wah guitar with consummate skill, building up a meticulous Motown repro sound best exemplified by "Motor City Serenade" itself, which celebrates Detroit's multi-faceted musical heritage.



“Standing courageously at the intersection of rock and soul music, influenced equally by Marvin Gaye and Brian Wilson, Stewart Francke possesses all the tools: A sweet voice, a vision that’s grand without being grandiose and undying love of sound for its own sake, and an equally passionate engagement with everyday life and the people who live it. This music isn’t classic anything only because, like every real artist, Francke takes the world as he knows it and moves on his own course.”

Dave Marsh, 2005 Zane Records website
- The Independent, England

April 02, 2005

Soul

Stewart Francke

****

Motor City Serenade (Zane)


This singer-songwriter from Detroit stands out from the crowd because of his soul-hardened voice and collection of thoughtful, user-friendly songs. His debt to his home town is revealed in the title track, which pays tribute to a raft of Motor City artists (see feature, page 18), including Marvin Gaye and Nolan Strong. And just to reinforce the feeling, he is backed on that track by Motown’s original Funk Brothers, including Jack Ashford and Joe Hunter. Another Detroit legend, Mitch Ryder, also lends vocal support on the 13 numbers that vary from the deft late-night stylings of Deep Soul Kiss to the altogether more funky Prowlin’. An artist who has battled leukaemia, Francke has a cutting edge that has already made his name in his native Michigan. With luck, he could do the same over here.




John Clarke


- London Times, UK

With a vibe fusing the best of Detroit's musical traditions, Stewart Francke celebrates three decades of creating his own brand of rock and blue-eyed soul. His 2012 song, "Summer Soldier," features a guest vocal spot with the legendary
Bruce Springsteen.
~
A dynamic, multi-faceted recording artist, live performer and musical institution in his adopted hometown of Detroit for nearly three decades, singer/songwriter Stewart Francke has enthralled thousands of fans, both onstage and via his lengthy discography and published memoir, with a colorful fusion of spirited blue eyed soul and edgy rock and roll that capture his wide array of rock (Beatles, Bowie), soul (Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye) and folk (Patty Griffin, Guy Clark) influences.

Over the years, he has won numerous Detroit Music Awards, including Best Artist, Songwriter and Album, totaling 13 awards. Hour Detroit readers voted him “Most Popular Musician” in 2002-2003, and in 2009 his hometown of Saginaw awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Saginaw Arts Commission, for “the enjoyment and insight his songs have brought to so many in his hometown, home state and beyond.” The majority of Stewart’s 16 albums have been released on his own label, Blue Boundary Records, and distributed internationally through Burnside Distribution in Portland. The most recent titles have all been funded via fan support through Kickstarter, the popular crowdfunding site.

Stewart and his killer band have performed hundreds of shows at clubs throughout the Midwest, and he is the only artist to play all 20 years at the Arts, Beats & Eats Festival in Detroit. Venturing beyond to larger markets, Stewart has headlined in Chicago several times and played one of the last shows at NYC’s renowned Bottom Line, sharing the bill with ex-Rolling Stone guitarist Mick Taylor. He and his band have also opened tour dates with Bob Seger, Steve Earle, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Winwood, Hall & Oates, EWF, Chicago, Foreigner, Natalie Cole, Shawn Colvin, Warren Zevon, Eddie Money, Joan Jett, and others.

In 2017, Stewart’s written memoir of his battle with cancer, What Don't Kill Me Just Makes Me Strong, was published by San Francisco-based ebook publisher Untreed Reads. This was the follow-up volume to his 2006 work Between The Ground & God, a collection of Stewart's writing on music, life and Michigan living. The book won two 2007 National Indie Excellence Awards, and led to an invitation to read at the New York Book Festival. In addition, he covered music for the Metro Times for years, interviewing numerous legends, including John Mellencamp, Ani Di Franco, Sting, Johnny Cash and Yoko Ono. What Don’t Kill Me is available in hardcover, paperback and audiobook, pursuant to a promotional tour for the re-released title.

Celebrating nearly 30 action packed years as a popular indie recording artist, Stewart’s latest is his 2015 greatest hits compilation Midwestern: The Very Best of Stewart Francke. For Motor City rock and R&B fans, the album is an infectious roll through some of his best loved regional hits. For everyone else, it’s the perfect introduction to his deep artistry, beginning with his poignant, socially conscious anti-war anthem (told from the perspective of a wounded serviceman), “Summer Soldier,” featuring a call and response “Holler `If You Hear Me!” chorus with the legendary Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen revealed himself to be an unabashed fan of Stewart’s on a Detroit radio show and comments, “He makes beautiful music.”

Closer to home, Stewart has always written songs about the Saginaw Bay Area, and even called his debut album Where the River Meets The Bay. Some of Stewart’s most heartfelt songs are inspired by his family relationships, including the buoyant, high energy “House of Lights,” whose title concept is a metaphor for the fragile nature of the family and his efforts to keep them safe, happy and together. Stewart wrote “House of Lights” during an exciting time as a young father of two children. Another family driven tune on the EP is the spirited rocker “Heart of a Heartless World,” penned after the death of both of his parents in a brief time span. It’s a poignant way of saying goodbye, facing the reality that he’s really on his own now. On the lighter side, Stewart exercises his storytelling muscle on “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” a 1996 radio hit about the quirky, shady characters that hang around his favorite Royal Oak dive, Gusoline Alley.



Stewart is also a compelling and popular speaker, using his story of extreme adversity to help others in arduous situations. As a leukemia and bone marrow transplant survivor of 19 years, he brings his message of hope, humor, faith and survival with every speaking appearance he makes. His presentation combines the performance of his own music with a five-tiered look at overcoming obstacles. Interspersed with wise and funny anecdotes from his own experience, the result is a profound, deeply felt—and highly effective—means of lifting his audience out of their apathy or fear and placing them back in the realm of hope, determination and faith. Through his hundreds of concerts and speaking engagements, Stewart has lent hope and inspiration to cancer patients, business leaders and everyday people throughout the country.

“What I came away with from my experiences as a survivor is that despite the way it looks and feels sometimes, human beings are all deeply and heavily connected, even in anonymity, ” Stewart says. “It has made me aware of what others are going through, and makes me quite grateful to be alive, something I maybe took too much for granted in the years I was first pursuing music. Now when I’m making music, I am more conscious of the value of making an immediate impact on people. I love the whole ‘pull on a string and see what unwinds’ emotional aspect of writing, and the way curiosity about a story or subject can inspire an expansion of awareness, and a meaningful song. Music offers a rush that nothing else does, and when I play live, I’m more aware than ever about the importance of human connection.”









WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT STEWART FRANCKE & HIS MUSIC
“Stewart Francke makes beautiful music.” – Bruce Springsteen
“Thank God for Stewart Francke. Thank God for his feeling healing music, for the sweetness of his soul, the sincerity of his songs, the strength of his vision.
His music is enriching, nourishing music – music as faith, music as celebration, music whose source is clear and joyful love.” -- David Ritz, author of "Divided Soul: The Marvin Gaye Story" & "Brother Ray."
"Stewart Francke is one of a kind. A talent that encompasses both songwriting and prose writing appears rarely. His “What We Talk Of…” is the most important blue-eyed soul record in a musical generation. Standing courageously at the intersection of rock and soul music, influenced equally by Marvin Gaye and Brian Wilson, Francke possesses all the tools: A great voice, a vision that’s grand without being grandiose and an undying love of sound for its own sake, along with an equally passionate engagement with everyday life and the people who live it. This music isn’t classic anything only because, like every real artist, Francke takes the world as he knows it and moves on his own course." --Dave Marsh
"Stewart Francke is the best songwriter I’ve heard in 20 years." --- Mick Taylor, legendary guitarist & former member of The Rolling Stones.
"Returning to the warm healing waters of "Lets get It On" era Marvin Gaye, genre hopper Francke restores faith in the much besmirched world of blue-eyed soul... genuinely life affirming. Looking for a real soul revival? Don’t look any further."— Gavin Martin, Uncut
"Francke's finest songs reveal lives at stake in intimate tales where men and women struggle to understand each other. He always awards the lives in his songs with the generous, dramatic arrangements they deserve, what he calls all that beautiful noise." --- David Cantwell, No Depression
“Stewart is a major major talent...” -- Dick Wagner, guitarist extraordinaire do Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Kiss, Aerosmith and fellow Saginaw MI native.
"Listening to Stewart Francke's music is like waking up and finding yourself in an alternate universe. It's a place where rock and soul still speak to each other, where you catch glimpses of what the seventies might have become if we'd lived up to their long-forgotten promise. It immerses you in a soundscape where you hear Motown and Philly International communing with Pet Sounds and Fleetwood Mac. It's a good world to imagine, and, Francke promises us, it isn't really out of reach. Part of the sense of promise lies in the music itself. Whether you're coming at the music from rock or soul, you can close your eyes, relax and let it wash over you. When you come back to the world, you'll feel energized and renewed. Like the best music of he rock and soul era, this music believes. It believes that we can reach a higher ground, that the conversations between black and white, between blues realism and gospel redemption, remain as vital as they were before narcissistic irony swamped our shared hopes and dreams. Like Marvin Gaye and Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Ani DiFranco, he knows that, if we find the strength to tell our own stories honestly and the courage to open ourselves to others, our burdens can be a source of hope, not despair. And, he insists, the only meaningful response is to love each other and to change the world. " -- Craig Werner, Gleason-award winning author of Change Is Gonna Come and Higher Ground
Stewart Francke / Heartless World (Blue Boundary, 2011)  --  Counterpunch ~ Call Stewart Francke a regional treasure, if you like. But what a region! The Detroit-based singer/songwriter/guitar-slinger grew up awash in the deep grooves of the Chicago blues and Motown R&B during what may well be the most creative era of American popular music.  Francke has a richly textured voice, a rocker’s Sam Cooke. He spent his early years as a bassist in blues bands and it was evidently a bountiful apprenticeship. Francke’s music seamlessly weaves blues and funk strands into infectious pop songs. I mean pop in the best sense, as in his 1995 hit “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.”  In 1998, Francke was diagnosed with leukemia.  He waged a successful battle against the disease and became a vital voice in the movement for cancer awareness and a sane health care policy. The music deepened, too, as revealed in his CDs Swimming With Mercury and What We Talk Of … When We Talk.  Francke’s latest release is his most accomplished yet. Sure, the voice has some road miles on it, but that only enriches the music, which shifts from blue-eyed soul to hard-driving rock. These are brave songs about love in a time of war, about loss and survival amid the ruins of a once mighty city. Bruce Springsteen lends a gritty gravitas to “Summer Soldiers,” Francke’s song about alienated young soldiers caught in an inexplicable, faraway war. This is humane music, music with a soul.  --  Jeffrey St. Clair
Giant Brian Wilsonian washes, substantial subject matter and a voice with a Springsteen/Stewart pedigree. At his best, Stewart Francke sounds like Lou Reed grabbing for the brass ring of an AAA Grammy, which has the potential to be great if you think about it. At his worst, he sounds like the unbelievably catchy songsmith Marc Cohn -- only channeling Phil Spector rather than Bruce Hornsby. With songs like this, Francke could turn a green-haired gutter-punk into a piano-bar casualty in a matter of minutes. -- Mike McGuirk, AOL


AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek -- AMG ★★★★★
Stewart Francke's Motor City Serenade is a daring exercise in musical anthropology, cultural license, and Detroit aesthetic savvy. Francke has been on the scene a long time, regarded highly in Detroit, but basically underappreciated elsewhere. That may change with the issue of this album, released by Great Britain's Zane label -- the crew that released great titles by Delaney Bramlett, Ellis Hooks, and Eddie Hinton.

Motor City Serenade pulls out all the stops creatively. There are layers of singers -- including the gospel group Commissioned, Barb Payton, and living rock legend Mitch Ryder -- elegant yet edgy strings, spiky, taut horns, funky keyboards, and popping guitars in a mix so utterly open and ringing, it saturates the listening space in a swirl of color, texture, and grit. But Motown isn't the only sound at work in Francke's mix; there is also the romantic sophistication of Brian Wilson and the wild abandon of Jack Nitszche. The title track is a lullaby to Detroit, romantically name-dropping some of its heroes, from Marvin Gaye and Nolan Strong to techno's "holy trinity" (Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson) -- all of it fueled by Motown's Funk Brothers backing Francke.

HIs singing voice has grown deeper and wider over the years. It contains a kind of reckless maturity and nuance that is the badge of experience and beneath- the-skin expression. He's doesn't worry about anything but getting the song to be true to itself as song. He's got the necessary soul chops, but he is also a fine rock singer -- when he and Ryder cut loose in "Upon Seeing Simone," over a rollicking horn section, they send chills down the spine. But sonics and vocal prowess only tell part of the story; Francke's true gift in his ability to write words so utterly and poetically impure, and melodies that project them from the mix to the consciousness of the listener.

For Francke, backyards, street cruising, the triumphs and tragedies of family, and fleeting love are all wrapped in the same bundle, all cards in the same slippery deck. He can find the divine in the heat of a kiss, or the supernatural in glare of city lights on wet pavement; he can discern the measure of morality in a broken heart. Tracks like "American Twilight" lament the craziness of the nation in the beating of a man on a suburban roadway. "Deep Soul Kiss" expresses the need to continue in relationship in the midst of struggle, all the while acknowledging the power of eros to transcend.

Yeah, this is real people's poetry: it carries within it the rough mystery of the urban street and the mundane magic of suburban epiphanies and doubts. And it's as romantic as a muggy summer night. This is music that's more interested in asking pertinent questions than looking for quick-fix answers. And in its quest there lies unintentional moral instruction as in the utterly moving slip hop of "You Better Get to Know Your Broken Heart."

Motor City Serenade is a celebration of contradictions: the beauty found in the ruins and history of a city that has lost its mooring but not its will to survive, the tense experiences of the people who inhabit its surroundings, the anxiousness found in searching for pearls of wisdom and excitement in the grind of everyday life in what was once the city that articulated the American Dream. And Francke has brought them all to bear here, allowing the voices of doubt, faith, regret, despair, temerity, and desire to speak for themselves in a truly exciting set of 13 songs that is as tough, tender, and ass-shaking as the city it reflects. ~ Thom Jurek


USA TODAY
STEWART FRANCKE - HEARTLESS WORLD 
Detroit legend Francke releases his first new music since 2002. That’s quite a break, but he waited until he had an album full of great new music, and this is the result. Detroit is a hard town and known for it’s soul and gritty rock. Francke has both genres running through his veins and delivers a stunner. Mitch Ryder and Bruce Springsteen even get in some vocals on these compelling new songs. Old school rock for a new generation.  ~ USA Today
"As always, Stewart Francke's passion and raw, soulful singing strength are evident on Swimming In Mercury. Like all the best songwriters, Stewart writes from the heart and sings from it as well. The power of his up tempo tunes and the plaintive emotion of his ballads make for that rarest of musical accomplishments: a great songwriter who can rock!" -- Mitch Albom~Columnist & Best Selling author



Real Detroit Magazine
Stewart Francke -- Love Implied
★★★★ Blue Boundary Records
When he's not raising cancer awareness or fighting his own illness, Stewart Francke is making music that will make you want to cry. Love Implied is Francke's latest album and he sings from his heart in every song. "Breakin' Under it All" is Francke's way of releasing his emotions during a dark period in his life. "Dancin' on The Killin' Floor," has an old school beat that reflects on the recession our country suffered the past few years. Francke writes about his hometown in Michigan in his track titled, "Dirty Old Town" and recalls all the changes he's witnessed. This album could be appreciated by those of an older demographic with the nostalgic lyrics, but anyone could appreciate Francke's honesty in sharing his story. He'll be making an appearance at the Magic Bag on 1/25 that lovers of his classic rock crooning won't want to miss. —ashley white
Worth a Listen: "Breakin' Under It All"

BACKSTREETS FREE DOWNLOAD: STEWART FRANCKE & BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Detroit's Stewart Francke has just released his eleventh album, Heartless World, which features a vocal collaboration with Springsteen on "Summer Soldier (Holler If Ya Hear Me"). In the liner notes, Francke writes, "it was always [Bruce's] voice I heard in the call & response of the chorus but I figured it would remain just a dream. So I asked, he said yeah, and sang it as he sings everything — with great passion and emotional clarity. A dream come true." Thanks to Stewart, we're now able to offer this track as a free mp3 download. In fact, we've just added two FREE mp3s from Heartless World to our Downloads page: the album's lead single featuring Springsteen, as well as a hidden bonus track, Francke's cover of Death Cab for Cutie's "I'll Follow You Into the Dark" that he also wanted to share with Backstreets readers.For more on the album, and to order the full CD, visit stewartfrancke.com Chris Phillips - June 16, 2011



MIX MAGAZINE: Stewart Francke 'Heartless World'
Jun 30, 2011, By Barbara Schultz

Singer/songwriter Stewart Francke’s Heartless World album leads off with “Summer Soldier,” a track that would be almost too painful to listen to if it weren’t such a great-sounding song. Francke fashioned the lyrics, written from the perspective of a soldier serving in Afghanistan, using thoughts expressed in interviews with servicemen (“Back home it’s springtime”… “I don’t regret it, but I miss my boys” … “We dream at night, but never sleep”). But the guitar-based arrangement is strong and soulful, with a rockin’ bridge and call-and-response vocals between Francke and Bruce Springsteen. It sets the tone for an album where the themes are emotional, heavy—expressed pointedly in the song “Heart of a Heartless World”—but the music is bright and upbeat. Francke, who wrote and co-produced all of the songs on the album, has a real appreciation for classic rock ’n’ soul; his first gig was actually at 19, playing bass with Chuck Berry! Today, his music is thoughtful, well-crafted and always enjoyable.

Producers: Stewart Francke and Bryan Reilly. Recording engineers: Reilly, Jim Kissling, Alan Tishk. Mixers: Miko Mader, Mark Pastoria, Kissling. Studios: RMS (Birmingham, Mich.), Harmonie Park (Detroit), Tempermill (Ferndale, Mich.), Upper Room (Huntington Woods, Mich.). Mastering: Adrian Carr/AC Mastering (Champlain, N.Y.).

LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION TO THE GUGGENHEIM COMMITEE-- Over the course of more than three decades in academia, I’ve written hundreds, probably more than a thousand, letters of recommendation. Writing this one, in support of Stewart Francke’s application for a Guggenheim fellowship in connection with his project “The Beautiful Go Blameless,” gives me more pleasure than any of the others. Of the countless students, colleagues and, occasionally, artists I’ve written about, no one combines the things I value more clearly or directly than Mr. Francke. If what intellectual and creative work is about making connections—between different ways of thinking, different communities, and in Mr. Francke’s case, different artistic styles and cultural traditions; if what it’s about is bringing our hard earned wisdom to those who need it most; if living a conscious life matters, this project is what it’s all about. Mr. Francke’s music and stories, weaving together the suffering and celebration of his experience as a cancer patient and survivor, will speak to those battling cancer themselves, to their friends and family members, and, with any luck at all, the policy makers and public who need to be much more conscious of challenges such as locating donor matches for members of ethnic and racial minorities.
I’d like to begin with the last element of that list, in part because it’s touches on issues that have been increasingly clear to me during my tenure as Chair of the Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin (which ended in September, blessedly). While Black Studies as an academic discipline has traditionally focused on issues regarding history, cultural production (literature, music and art), and social policy, one of the currents which has emerged slowly but inexorably over the last ten or fifteen years has concerned health (physical, psychological, environmental). It’s a sad, but real fact that a disquieting percentage of my generation of African Americanists, most of them black, have died young, and that cancer has been by far the most common cause of death. I’ve seen it strike close colleagues, professional acquaintances, and, worst of all, several promising students. I’ve seen up close how difficult it is for members of minority communities.
The fact that Mr. Francke is devoted to increasing this awareness would be enough to make me enthusiastic about the project. And it’s not just rhetoric. Although Mr. Francke looks about as white as you can get—think California surfer—I’ve seen him connect with black communities, both within and outside the Detroit musical world which is his home base. As he approaches the consciousness raising dimension of the project, he’ll do so in ways that will be equally effective in regard to the (mostly white) decision makers who can have some impact on policy, and in regard to the black patients and families he’ll be contacting in hospitals and clinics.
That would matter in any case, but it will matter much more because of the brilliance and depth of Mr. Francke’s artistry. To be honest, I don’t really understand why he’s not a star on the level of Bruce Springsteen, who in many ways is his soul brother. Or maybe Jackson Browne. In writing the liner notes to his beautiful album What We Talk About…When We Talk, I wrote that listening to the music was like waking up in a world where the rock and soul conversation of the 1960s and 1970s had created a new shared musical vocabulary. While I love Mr. Francke’s lyrics—and they’ll play a central role in this project—it’s the music itself that communicates his vision most clearly. It’s a vision of a world where everyone’s voice counts—where the Beach Boys’ harmonies sound over Motown grooves, where Aretha’s harmonizing with Sarah McLachlan. His music is a room with many doors, and once a listener has walked into it, she’ll find herself hanging out with sounds she might not otherwise have encountered.
And that really isn’t to marginalize the lyrics. Mr. Francke is a fine writer; he’s the author of an award-winning book of essays, Between the Ground and God, which touches on music, memoir, literature and the beauties of Michigan’s environments, urban and rural. His lyrics are always smart, melodic, a bit deceptive in their apparent simplicity. More Beatles than Dylan, Smokey Robinson than George Clinton. They transmit messages of hard-earned hope (as distinct from any facile optimism). Together with the music, they fulfill what I think of as the twin purposes of art: to clarify the reality we’re living in; and to help us imagine new possibilities.
That’s obviously of special concern to the people Mr. Francke is reaching out to in this project. As he knows from personal experience, there’s nothing glamorous about cancer treatment. I’ve read the manuscript of his wonderful book about how rock and soul music helped him get through his own treatment. It’s honest, well-researched, beautifully written, and someone should publish it tomorrow. He knows how much difference it makes not to feel alone, to know that it’s possible to get through, to know that someone’s listening, that they care. I think the most important line in Mr. Francke’s proposal is the one where he defines his goal as to reaching out and asking “How’s it been for you?” The songs included in this proposal are his way of reaching out; the ones he’ll write as a result of the project will inevitably be filled with the love and longing of the people he talks to along the way.
This project isn’t just about healing; it is healing. Without any question, it deserves whatever support Guggenheim can provide. I’m not even going to bother to apologize for the superlatives, although I would note that I take pride in writing honest recommendations. There’s simply no downside to this proposal or to Stewart Francke’s qualifications for carrying it through. ~ Prof Craig Werner, Chair, Univ. Of Wisconsin African-American Studies

LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION TO THE GUGGENHEIM COMMITEE:
Dear Committee Members... 
It is my honor and sincere privilege to write this letter of reference and support for this prestigious award for Mr. Stewart Francke.  I have known, worked with, performed with and recorded with Stewart for close to 20 years now, and I have always found him to be one of the most dimensional, first rate writers, songwriters and musical artists in all of Detroit.  There is no one here more concerned with the human condition and the celebration of all humanity than Stewart.  He has worked tirelessly on behalf of our community to feed the hungry, house the homeless and give those young children and many adults who have been diagnosed with leukemia, as he was, the needed hope and encouragement to win their fight and to survive in their new reality and to be filled with hope and inspiration for their futures. Stewart gives back to us all most of what he is about as an artist and as a human being.
 
In addition to his unique and important altruistic characteristics, Stewart Francke is one of the finest and most dedicated creative artists in Detroit. He has continued throughout his long trials and his, at times, debilitating illnesses to compose new music and lyrics, record and release numerous award winning CDs. In addition, Stewart has  made significant portions of their sales available to the less fortunate and to those organizations and people in our community and across the USA who are struggling, as he did,  with leukemia. Stewart works hard to give  hope through his lyrics and songs for many of this people to one day have a bone marrow transplants and to  survive and have a long life. Stewart's music and lyrics are original and like no other artist I have ever heard before in his genre, and I believe our community and his international audiences feel the same way as seen through their unending support and devotion to this man's great integrity and spiritual love for all humankind. 
I totally support and fully believe in every thing Stewart Francke is involved with and committed to, and I think he is one of the most deserving   candidates I have ever had the honor to write a letter of support for the Guggenheim.  I hope this panel will agree with me when they review all Mr. Francke's many credentials, his proposal and his deep dedication to his art and, more importantly, to the world community and all humanity. He is one of the few excellent and deserving candidates to be strongly considered for this year's grant. If you have further questions on Stewart's character, credentials, past experiences and dedication to his art and his community, please feel free to call or write me.  Thank you for reading this letter, and I only wish good things for this sincere and very real man and community oriented artist. 
Sincerely, Professor M.L. Liebler, Chair, Wayne State University English Dept.

Stewart Francke has performed with these artists...
Bob Seger
Stevie Winwood
Sheryl Crow
Warren Zevon
Steve Earle
Hall & Oates
Shawn Colvin
Michael McDonald
Bryan Adams
Chicago
Lady Antebellum
Huey Lewis & The News
Temptations & Four Tops and many others...
On These National Stages:
DTE Energy Center, Clarkston, MI
Bluebird Cafe, Nashville, TN
Bottom Line, NYC
The Stone Pony, Asbury Pk, NJ
Lonestar Cafe, NYC
The Palace, Auburn Hills, MI
Fox Theater, Detroit, MI
Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
Schuba's, Chicago, IL
City Winery, IL
The Fillmore, Detroit, MI
and more...

Metro Times City Slang
Franckely speaking: The songwriter on working with the Boss, overcoming tragedy and the real reality. By Brett Callwood Metro Times

When singer-songwriter Stewart Francke sent a song to Bruce Springsteen's people in the hopes that the Boss would add some vocals, he knew the odds were slim that he'd get anything back. One can only imagine how many similar requests Springsteen receives, and what he could charge if he so chose.

But what do you frickin' know, the song came back, all Bruced up.
Francke is a man who deserves a spot of good fortune. For starters, he's a sweet guy. Humble and soft-spoken, he cringes when complimented, but will quite happily often offer praise. He's that sort of dude.

Between '95 and '98, Francke put an album out every year, each more introspective than the last. In '98, Francke was diagnosed with leukemia and he spent the next few years of his life battling the disease, which involved a bone marrow transplant and years of crippling complications. But he kept writing. Had to. "I even put out a record, Wheel of Life, in the middle of it all. That was tough, but therapeutic."
Francke wouldn't be beaten, and, in 2004, his doctor gave him the all-clear, but he barely had a chance to exhale when both his parents and his wife's parents died over four years beginning in 2005.

He took a break. It was the strain. Lord knows, he needed a vacation.
"I had to take a step back and take care of my kids," Francke says. "They were very young at the time, and they were exposed to too much too soon. It was important that I be there for them."

So here we are, nine years after his last full-length studio album, and Francke has just released Heartless World. It's an apt title considering the 13 years the songwriter has endured.

"Heartless World is a bleak title 'cause it's been a bleak fuckin' time," Francke says.

"Although I don't write many songs about the corrosion of optimism, I am interested in the inevitable loss of illusions and, more importantly, the 'now-what?' that comes after tragedy. The fall. What you gonna do now? How you gonna live after your world falls apart? After cancer? After 9/11? After we've lost all our money? What's going on? After death of friends and family? Can you maintain any romantic ideals at all today?"
Francke can certainly tell sincere stories of loss and ache, but that's not to say Heartless World isn't devoid of hope and declarations of determination ("Faith in Faith Itself," "Soul Survivor"). Francke's songs move and pop in that singer-songwriter tradition of Jackson Browne and Cat Stevens — with tinges of Springsteen and Seger's blue-collar-hero-is-something-to-be 'tude. The Boss makes his appearance on the opener, "Summer Soldier (Holler if ya Hear Me)." In fact, the lyrics are unironic and sobering in a Springsteen social-commentary kind of way. "'Summer Soldier' is," Francke says, "about the military men and women who signed up for the limited tours or for the promised years of school, or even the reserves who signed back up for National Guard duty only to be called into a full rotation over in the Middle East. ... Often more than once. It seemed like another ruse by the 'masters of war.' So the lyric was a way to damn the war but have the troops' back, always. And military people have responded, as conservative as they are. They get the humanity of the soldier's story."

So how did he get Springsteen involved? "From a creative standpoint, I always heard Bruce's voice in the call-and-response 'holla' part. I thought just the tone of his harder voice would work so well. Although Bruce and I had met a few times and he had said some very good things about my music, I, of course, still considered the chances of getting Bruce to sing on it very distant. We saw each other last summer at a social event and had a nice talk and he's always very nice to my family, so I just sent a demo to Bruce's management.

A lot of time went by and I forgot about it and worked on other things. Then Toby Scott [Springsteen's producer-mixer-engineer] e-mailed one day and asked for lyrics and Pro Tools sessions and I was knocked out. A couple of months later, the vocal arrived. Of course, it's exciting, but I'm most proud of it because it works musically."

Elsewhere, hometown hero Mitch Ryder appears on "Boo Yah/ Take My Mother Home."

"Back when I was writing for the Metro Times 15 or 16 years ago, Francke says, "I interviewed Mitch. The owner [of Metro Times] at the time was Ron Williams, and I told him that I thought we were taking Mitch for granted. He was releasing new stuff in Europe and doing really well, and in Detroit we only knew him for 'Devil With a Blue Dress On'. We've been friends ever since."

For Francke, after years of pain, his music's a healer of sorts.

He explains: "The record is about re-forming a thought process, a new belief --heroic when faced with this unrelenting reality. The things to hide from are permanent and obvious — fear, professional disappointment, the drift of time, the death of people we love, our own death. Yet reasons for optimism are everywhere too. When I first heard certain Motown artists, Mitch Ryder or the Beatles as a young kid, it completely turned my head around about new ways to think, dress and live. The styles I'm loosely working in, rock and soul, are both a very human, rolling-ball-of-glue kind of art. They pick up everything in their path, and roll backward and forward, collecting fingerprints, signs, emotions and echoes ... of angels, ancestors, shamans, showmen, the dark, the light, everything. Music at its best should compel those that hear it toward some kind of physical change: learn more, have more compassion, become interested in its shared ideals, open up, dance your ass off, have some fun. I've seen this in action — the individual dramatically waking up to the community and a community alive and aware enough to welcome him or her to it."

Francke pauses, then adds, "Everyone has their moment of unchanging reality, where they see who they are and what their life is really worth. “

“One of the abiding principles of recovering cancer patients and hardworking songwriters is learning to accept that other people will never know, understand or care in a way you'd expect them to. Life goes on."
Stewart Francke S/T Review / 2016 Rating: 8.7/10
Stewart Francke is able to create a timeless sort of rock that touches upon the work of Rod Stewart, David Bowie, and Donovan with the first song from this sampling of tracks. Summer Soldier (Holler If Ya Hear Me) is able to shine with introspective arrangements that bubble into something engrossing and melodies that will bury themselves deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. Sam Cooke’s On The Radio brings a little more R&B and soul into the mix, with a laid-back soul groove immediately pleasing listeners’ ears. The inimitable vocals laid down by Francke are the cherry on the top of the sundae. A robust base line and sizzling horn work to make this something special.
Two Guitars Bass and Drums feels like a long-lost Beatles track, with all of the majesty and pomp dovetailing into a vocal-heavy effort. The sheer set of influences that listeners will be able to discern during this composition is substantial, with bits of ELO, U2, the Bee Gees, and Seals and Crofts waved together into a cogent narrative. The heavy drums that open up Heart of a Heartless World resound loudly through the composition, drawing listeners’ attention firmly to this composition. The dual duty that Francke’s vocals pull here is amazing; more than just being the narrative aspect of the composition, Stewart’s voice add considerably to the overall harmonies achieved during this song. This EP concludes with a live version of Upon Seeing Simone, showcasing a wholly different side to the performer. All the glitz and glamour of seventies Vegas is created with brilliant splendor, sending listeners off on a tremendously positive note; a set of backing instrumentation here means that this song will resound loudly with listeners long after the album has ceased to play.
Top Tracks: Two Guitars Bass and Drums

Stewart Francke – ‘Stewart Francke’
by Skope • April 5, 2016

Stewart Francke’s self-titled effort is played with a tremendous amount of heart and soul. These songs feel timeless in nature. Like a collection of long-lost classics there is something so intimate, so familiar throughout the album. His voice serves to center the album showing off a wide range from the celebratory to the sweet with everywhere in between. By opting for such a sound he is able to show off his considerable chops and ear for melody. Throughout the albumthe songs simply stun whether he is going for the mellow opener “Summer Solider (Holler If Ya Hear Me)” to introspective “House Of Lights”.
Deserving to be played as loud as possible is the passionate rush of “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”. By far the highlight of the album is the infinite smoothness of “Sam Cooke’s on The Radio” which feels like a forgotten late 70s Steely Dan track. Irresistible in nature the song’s gliding groove and fanfare work wonders. Akin to Jon Brion’s fondness for forthright classic rock is the earnestness of “Two Guitars Bass and Drums”. Stewart Francke’s lyricism evokes the best of summer jam, sunny in nature. Smart in nature is the narrative of “Letter From Ten Green”. Closing thealbum off on a fiery infectious note is the ambitious spraying work of “Upon Seeing Simone (Live)”. The song’s passion grows ever larger until the fantastic finale.
Infinitely stylish with immaculate arrangements.
Stewart Francke’s self-titled album is pop perfection.
"Listening to Stewart Francke's music is like waking up and finding yourself in an alternate universe. It's a place where rock and soul still speak to each other, where you catch glimpses of what the seventies might have become if we'd lived up to their long-forgotten promise. It immerses you in a soundscape where you hear Motown and Philly International communing with Pet Sounds and Fleetwood Mac. It's a good world to imagine, and, Francke promises us, it isn't really out of reach. Part of the sense of promise lies in the music itself. Whether you're coming at the music from rock or soul, you can close your eyes, relax and let it wash over you. When you come back to the world, you'll feel energized and renewed. Like the best music of he rock and soul era, this music believes. It believes that we can reach a higher ground, that the conversations between black and white, between blues realism and gospel redemption, remain as vital as they were before narcissistic irony swamped our shared hopes and dreams. Like Marvin Gaye and Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Ani DiFranco, he knows that, if we find the strength to tell our own stories honestly and he courage to open ourselves to others, our burdens can be a source of hope, not despair. And, he insists, the only meaningful response is to love each other and to change the world. " -- Craig Werner, Gleason-award winning author of Change Is Gonna Come and Higher Ground





Links to live footage & Online Reviews:
http://themiews.com/stewart-francke-self-titled-ep-music-review/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBqnhsAR49Y&feature=related

http://indieminded.com/2016/04/ep-review-stewart-francke-stewart-francke/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jCQTUVG1ug&feature=share

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/10/03/wallace-detroit-guitars-reclaimed-wood/91503752/

http://ventsmagazine.com/2016/04/06/interview-stewart-francke/

http://video.dptv.org/show/dptv-arts-culture/











Home / Music / Artist Interviews INTERVIEW: Stewart Francke
RJ Frometa April 6, 2016




Stewart Francke by Stewart Francke.
Detroit based recording artist Stewart Francke has been an engaging fixture on the music scene for more than 20 years. Highly respected for his many talents and wildly popular for his live performances, Francke has won several accolades over his career including 13 Detroit Music Awards for, among other things, Best Artist, Songwriter and Album, as well as a “Most Popular Musician” designation, and, a lifetime achievement award from his hometown of Saginaw. Offering a compilation of regional hits for his local fans and an introduction of his music to a wider global audience not yet familiar with him, Francke has released a collection of his top songs. The eight track self- titled EP, Stewart Francke, is available now. 
One thing to know about Francke is that the man knows how to tell a story through his songwriting. He wastes no time showcasing that gift as the EP opens on a powerful note with the somber “Summer Soldier (Holler If Ya Hear Me).” Singing from the perspective of a young soldier who lays dying on the battlefield for a war he doesn’t quite understand as part of a military he loves, Francke leaves listeners feeling as if they know him. Francke enlisted the help of long time admirer and rock icon Bruce Springsteen whose distinct gravely vocals can be heard in the chorus hollering back. Francke then changes things up and moves into “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” A song about the locals who hang out at a Detroit bar, this track has a modern country feel to it and the female vocals nicely compliment Francke’s. Starting off deceptively mellow, it is on once the chorus hits so turn up the volume and sing along. Resistance is futile.
More than one person has mentioned the phrase “blue-eyed soul” when talking about Francke and “Sam Cooke’s on The Radio” is the perfect example of this. Francke and his band do a fantastic job of musically creating a retro vibe that falls somewhere between the 60s and 80s. The incredible horn work here only adds to this soulful R&B track before he moves into the uptempo “House of Lights.”  A thoughtful look at keeping a family unit solid, “House of Lights” is both contemporary and classic and has some truly stand out guitar playing.
“Two Guitars Bass and Drums” is right up there with “Summer Soldier” in the songwriting department. Opening in a way that, for some reason, made me think of a toned down Queen, “Two Guitars Bass and Drums” allows Francke’s vocals to shine particularly bright as he reminisces about old times with good friends. “Heart of a Heartless World” is another personal favorite and a song about life following the death of his parents. Francke’s vocal delivery manages to be smooth while also having just a touch of sadness to them as he sings, “I’ve been up/I’ve been down/From the sky to the ground/Looking for the heart of a heartless world.” Instrumentally, “Heart of a Heartless World” is solid with noteworthy playing on drums, guitar and keyboard.
Stewart Francke begins to wind down with the heartfelt “Letter From Ten Green.” This amazingly touching track is delivered, as the title says, like he is reading from a letter, and the emotion runs deep with his effective vocals leading the way. Closing out the EP is a live performance of “Upon Seeing Simone.” It’s been said that if you want to truly hear how someone sounds, you need to hear them live and on “Upon Seeing Simone,” you get to do just that. The result? Francke sounds great. His backing band sounds great. Put them all together and they are as tight an outfit as I have heard on a live track and sound just as good if not better than recorded quality. Not only is that increasingly rare in the modern music age, it is an absolute testament to talent which flows from Francke in abundance. 
With incredibly tight arrangements, high level songwriting and melodies that hook you in, Stewart Francke’s self-titled, eight track EP is a top notch collection of songs that show you what he’s got. He is an artist at his core and as such, never stays inside just one box. You’re just as likely to hear some classic rock as you are glimmers of soul, folk or R&B on this release and that’s part of what keeps it all interesting. Whether you’re a long time fan or brand new to his work, the sheer musicality of the listening experience is bound to win you over. If you’re in the market for some passion filled music from the heart set to many different tunes, it’s time you get to know Stewart Francke.

INTERVIEWS: Stewart Francke April 12, 2016 by Shaine Freeman
RATING: 8.25 / 10
Genre: Classic Rock, Modern Rock
Songwriting: 8 | Music: 9 | Vocals: 9
Website: www.stewartfrancke.com
For fans of: Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Sting, David Bowie
Detroit songwriter/musician Stewart Francke brings a classic rock sound on his newest self-titled EP that makes “easy listening” jump to attention. Coming off a 2011 release which featured a guest appearance by none other than Bruce Springsteen, Francke is putting the pedal to the metal in 2016 and taking his music to new heights. Carrying a rock and roll sound that will quickly click with music fans who appreciate artists like Sting and John Mellencamp, the Stewart Francke EP breathes new life into an underappreciated style of music.
Stewart Francke doesn’t just make music for the sake of becoming a superstar like many musicians do, instead his music serves a much greater purpose. A decade-long leukemia and bone marrow transplant survivor, Stewart often plays concerts benefiting cancer research and donates his time to building awareness for one of the world’s most debilitating diseases. His non-profit, The Stewart Francke Leukemia Foundation (SFLF), was presented the Partnership In Humanity Award by the Detroit Newspapers, and he was awarded a Creative Artist Grant by Artserve Michigan in 2003. In 2009 Stewart received the 20th Anniversary Lifetime Achievement Arts Award from his hometown of Saginaw, Michigan, further proving Francke’s credibility as a musician and philanthropist.
From the outset, the Stewart Francke EP will grab you immediately thanks to great songs like “Summer Soldier” – a tribute to our troops, “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, the soulful “Sam Cooke’s On The Radio”, and the awesome “House of Lights”. Of all the songs on the project, the one I like most is “Upon Seeing Simone (Live)” because of the Blues Traveler “Run-around” feel that blows through your ears like an uplifting cool breeze. The fact that it’s a live recording just makes it that much more entertaining because you can hear that Stewart Francke is not made up in the recording studio; he’s a real artist with real talent. The live horn section, grooving bass and drums, the vocals, songwriting, guitars; I mean, everything is in its right place and deserving of all the praise it receives.
In the end, Stewart Francke is a great cross between the old and new in rock music; and with his ongoing philanthropic work I think we should all purchase his music to help him continue his amazing work in the world.




VENTS Online Magazine http://ventsmagazine.com/interviews
Hi Stewart...Welcome to VENTS. How Have You Been? I’ve been well, thank you.  I’m very excited about this new compilation of some of my best songs getting out there and introducing me and my music or maybe re-introducing it to some folks.  And I’ve been writing and demoing new songs for a new release that I hope will maybe even be the end of this year.  And my oldest daughter is about to graduate from Central Michigan University, so things are OK.Tell Us About the new single “Summer Soldier (Holler If You Hear Me)”?I knew I wanted to write about the illicit, politically motivated wars of the last several years, particularly the Iraq War. Just as I was working on it, I was asked to send some cds and signed posters over to deployed soldiers from Michigan in Iraq or Afghanistan, to just cheer them up and remind them that we were back here thinking of them. So I got to thinking about the part-time soldiers, people in the reserves or in the National Guard who never ever expected to be fighting a land and air war in the deserts of the Middle East. Part time military people–Summer soldiers. So I wrote in the first person. It’s written  in the eyes of a soldier that’s just been gravely wounded, and he knows it.  He pictures life back home as lovely and peaceful and briefly describes how he got here-to this point where he’s bleeding and dying in the desert and he suddenly realizes he doesn’t have any idea as to why. He has great love for and allegiance to his fellow soldiers, men and women who are his brothers and sisters. He envisions a heaven of sorts in the form of a train arriving as he’s dying and hears his name called. And he prays that someday, one day, we’ll have a better understanding of it all. And then he dies–that’s the narrative very briefly. But the choruses are in the words of the onlookers, the rest of us, knowing it’s all so cursed and wrong and immoral.  And so I say “Holler if ya hear me” — let your voice be heard if you agree, or you’ve seen this man dying for nothing and feel unempowered, or pissed or both. You know–who’s with me?  So I had the lyric and basic track and sent it through his management to Bruce Springsteen because I just heard his voice as the answering voice in the call and response of the chorus.  His voice is so raw and honest and real, of course.  I was lucky that I’d met him a couple times through some very close mutual friends, and he’d been complimentary about my music.  But I knew that kind of request had to be handled openly, through the normal channels.  And he heard it and agreed to sing on it with me.  That was a brilliant day when I heard that he’d do it.  So we swapped files of the music, Michigan to Jersey and back, and he killed it.  Of course he killed it!  He’s Bruce! I do like the song and the record of it quite a lot, because it’s a lyrical story that resolves, with a beginning, middle and end and because it rocks and it’s remaining relevant and politically pertinent.  Unfortunately.
Did any event in particular inspired you to write this song?
Again, unfortunately, many events that appeared daily on our screens during those years. Those events plus the lack of outrage in this country regarding how these wars had begun–with endless duplicity–and how these violent events began to seem interminable. And then having some correspondence with a couple Michigan soldiers who really missed home distilled and clarified the personal human emotion of it all I really like President Obama, and I’m very much in agreement with the bulk of his decisions, but I remain unhappy and impatient that we continue to bomb with drones etc. But all this political talk on a single song of mine is misleading a bit. It’s actually very specific, all of this political opinion and recording a protest song, because I very rarely write overtly political lyrics. I’m far more interested in the singular despair or joy of one person or a pair of people in this fallen age.
Any plans to release a video for the single?
There has been talk with a couple different directors about some kind of visual imagery for the song but we’ve shot nothing yet due to me not being affiliated with a large label and the other small fact of not personally having $50,000 for a music video laying around! But I think it’d really bring the whole thing home–the song itself, what it says, Bruce’s involvement, and how this very volatile subject is again front and center because of the current campaigns. Maybe we can do something cool on the cheap. Oh and that Bruce kid seems kinda busy–might be hard to get him again,
The single comes off your new self-titled album – why naming this record after you? Is it because it’s a personal album or you were running out of names?
It’s an introduction to and through you guys in the music media, potentially to new folks who may become fans after hearing the songs. Or possibly a re-introduction to people in what remains of the music business and any opportunities that might conjure up. So it’s essentially a selection of my better songs from a larger selection of my better songs that came out last year, a Best Of record. As you know, it requires quite a lot of fuss, or promotion, or an event–or something extraordinary–to let people know you have new music out these days. So it seemed appropriate to keep is simple and just call this release Stewart Francke. Which also happens to be my name! So it worked out nicely.
How was the recording and writing process?
Well these songs are from a couple different recent periods, so the writing and recording was varied a bit. Not that it ever really changes all that much. I write alone, without a co-writer or collaborator, from a title first, then the lyrics, and whatever melody and arrangement the muse deigns to grant me. Always have my antennae up! And i take whatever I can get musically! The lyric writing is less spiritual and more academic, even more journalistic, I guess. It’s at the arranging and recording stages that the songs become what music should be–a collaborative effort with other players, opinions and skills. That’s the fun part, relatively. My entire creative process is emotional alchemy. New songs and recordings always come from combining these disparate, mercurial components–the nature of the subject, the tone of my influences, the array of instruments at play, the talent of collaborators, understanding the changing recording technology, and primarily what I then hear in my head and heart.
What role does Detroit plays in your music?
Well it’s sometimes hard to generalize about such a large city, but I think an artist does soak up the vibe and feel and light of a place, any place, wherever you find yourself working. For me, Detroit is my longtime home and it means so many intrinsic things that ultimately infuse and inform my music. The killer musical history, both black and white, and the feeling that gives you–that you’re working in a strong tradition whether you realize it or not, and that there’s a qualitative level to adhere to or just go away. And mostly, of course, the attitudes and postures of the people you know, love and make music with. There’s also.the general feeling of work and overcoming and continued struggle that’s such a part of Detroit. You gotta be tough and lucky to survive winters in Detroit. But overall, I think that modern songwriting at its best should compel fans that hear it toward some kind of physical or emotional shift: awake to the notion of the Other, learn more, increase compassion, become interested in our shared social ideals, recognize your own isolation or fear, dance all night, get further out into the world or deeper into one’s self...whatever! In that sense it’s a very useful, purposeful art form.
How has your personal struggles have influence your music?
When I’ve written directly about actual events or literal feelings, then my struggles have directly influenced the writing and recording and intended meaning of what I wanted to say to people, obviously and directly. I’ve written songs very specifically about having cancer, or about the fear of dying from cancer and hoping your children know and remember you.  I’ve also written and recorded very spiritual and amorphous songs about the very worldly emotions of alienation, love, community, despair, family, desire, sex and loneliness. So it’s a combination of drawing literally from your own life and its very real troubles and then observing and seeing poetically–putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and creating an empathetic world around them.  So yea–I’m a leukemia and bone marrow transplant survivor who is also a musician, an artist who is a cancer survivor. Despite the difficulties of going through treatment and transplant, the years it took from me and the lingering complications, I’ve tried to keep my heart and ears and eyes open, aware that I was going through something valuable and unique to the human spirit if I could survive it and describe it with detail, beauty and vitality. As a result, I now try to write and sing survival songs, music that sustains and describes our lives.  It ain’t curing cancer or rocket science. (smile)
Have you learned anything in particular from your 20 years career? I guess I’ve actively been recording and releasing my own records/cds/whatever you wanna call them for 20 years but I actually began this pursuit with enormous passion and ambition when I was 19! So I’ve been writing, recording, playing live shows and learning the business for about 37 years or so. Making music has been all I’ve really wanted to do, what I set out to do and what I’ve done. For better or worse. I mean, I’ve also written extensively–columns, features and books–and been a father with an extremely blessed and happy family life, because I actually did want it all at one time. That’s ridiculous of course, unless you’re Oprah I guess–no one can have everything. I also felt it was very important to first have a real life, with real events and ups and downs and heartbreak and illness and death and love and joy and birth. Because I wanted something to write about and not just be the musician who’s an outside observer, forever imagining scenarios and looking in on what I needed to borrow to write. That person’s just a social cliche. Far better to have a real life to write about. I’ve noticed several musicians ( a few friends too) who felt they needed to remain free and autonomous so as not to compromise their art with distraction. And they’ve been fucking miserable. So that’s been a lesson. I also feel it’s still essential to have a pronounced apprenticeship when you’re just approaching this as a life or career, where you learn everything from how to play guitar arpeggios to how to wrap a cord properly to how to mix a song well to how to travel and perform to how to rehearse effectively to how to read a contract. You can’t know too much and you can’t have enough quiet and deep belief in yourself and who you are as a person and artist. And lastly, you HAVE to be able to laugh at yourself and others, and just say “fuck em” quite often in this business. Cuz you know what I really know now? NOBODY FUCKING KNOWS!! Nobody! What’s good, what’s bad, what works, what doesn’t, what will hit, what won’t, what you should do or not do as the best course for yourself. Nobody knows. There are certainly no rules and few absolutes in the music game. Apply a solid truth and I’ll give you ten examples where the opposite worked. Trust your own emotional, visceral reaction to music. Trust your instincts. Life is brief and unfair. Apply that times 1000 in the music thing. I’ve devoted my entire life to this musical pursuit and its ancillary lifestyle terms. I’m a lifer. I’m continuing to earn the privilege to contribute to this unending river of songs that can illuminate what needs to be said about the human condition in the times we live in. That’s about it!
Any plans to hit the road?
Man we’d love to, but as of now we’re just going to play some shows in and around Detroit or maybe the midwest a bit. When we play here in town I have this wonderful band…but it’s rather large. Totally unfeasible for an artist in my position to try and take out on the road. We have a horn section and singers to accompany the 6 piece band and rhythm section. For a total of 10 or 11 up on stage quite often. It’s fantastic and I think very entertaining–men and women, black and white, people that have known one another quite a long time and actually love and care about each other singing and playing together. And I think that extends quite quickly and thoroughly to the audience. But if I did go do some dates here or in Europe, I’d have to consider either breaking the band down to a 4 or 5 piece or even playing some shows as a duo or solo performer. Very reductive for me and my songs, and it’s hard to represent the music in full bloom while alone with an acoustic guitar or something. Even though I’ve opened for many , many big bands and stars as a duo or single. But I’m no Joni Mitchell or Ani DiFranco or Bob Dylan while alone on stage. I play off others and need a band and would greatly miss my band.
What else is happening next in Stewart Francke’s world?
More listening to what’s good out there now and more writing and recording myself. There are so many great new bands and records in rock and Roll and Soul out now but they aren’t on the Billboard charts. Everything’s readily available –all the brilliant 70s soul like Al Green and Bobby Womack right up through D’Angelo and Anthony Hamilton working today. In rock, all of the wonderful early English glam up on through the Flaming Lips. But not much on the radio other than the AAA chart a bit. I think this might be the first extended period since rock and roll or modern music began that the most popular music is also not the best music being made. Absolute crap on the radio now; thank God for Sirius and Spotify and itunes. It’s true that streaming services don’t pay artists or songwriters yet but it is a wonderful consumer service. That paradigm has got to change, and somebody’s gotta go to bat for the creators in this scenario. Not sure how it will resolve itself. Music will always be this enormous emotional impetus for human beings, and there will always be an worldwide demand for it. Wow…how’d I get here and how does that have anything to do with your question??–sorry. Anyway, yes, for me there will be more absorption of music and ideas through reading, more live shows, more writing and recording very soon (maybe we can get another batch of songs out yet this year) and just more living with those I love. I’m very grateful to be alive. Everything starts there for me–wife and kids, extended friends and family…is everyone all right and if not, how can I help? I’m weird that way, very Virgo–all my ducks gotta be in a row before I can comfortably create. They say out of chaos comes order, but for me out of order comes musical chaos. Then we record and release it! Good clean fun. - Blue Boundary