(Eagle Records/Shock)

Frampton comes alive. Again.

Peter Frampton of English blues rockers Humble Pie ironically became the very embodiment of the ‘70s LA sound with his albums Frampton Comes Alive (a super-slick concert recording) and its studio follow-up I’m In You (a title sure to resonate with Ron Burgundy!). He’s continued on his personal musical path ever since, emerging now with Thank You Mr Churchill, an ambitious record of World War II themes, solid blues rock and immaculately crafted song suites. It’s total Dadrock, but one of the more pleasant examples of the genre. Frampton’s voice has aged into a soulful instrument not dissimilar to our own Daryl Braithwaite (fitting, as both Frampton and Braithwaite’s band Sherbet made some of the definitive soft rock ooze of the 1970s). Longtime collaborator Chris Kimsey co-produces with Frampton and together they create an updated, raucous version of the Jeff Lynne formula adopted on 1990s efforts by the likes of Roy Orbison and Tom Petty (big, solid drum sounds, thick guitars etc). The title track opens the record with its straight ahead rock punch, followed by the impressively gutsy Solution. I’m Due A You is pleasant enough melodic rock, though strangely reminiscent of Aretha Franklin’s Who’s Zooming Who. Perhaps the highlight is the blue-eyed soul of Invisible Man, complete with a guest spot from Motown session legends The Funk Brothers. Frampton’s place on the road remains firmly in the middle – but he’s still one of the sharpest AOR operators out there.

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MATT THROWER

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