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Neal Francis

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Neal Francis
Birth nameNeal Francis O'Hara
Born (1988-09-04) September 4, 1988 (age 36)
Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
Years active2018–present
Labels
Websitenealfrancis.com

Neal Francis (born Neal Francis O’Hara; September 4, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Influenced by classic New Orleans artists such as Dr. John, the Meters, and Allen Toussaint, in addition to Sly Stone, Billy Preston, and Curtis Mayfield, he released his first album in 2019. His second album, In Plain Sight—a "revelatory blast of soul, R&B, and off-the-rails piano jams"—was released on ATO Records in 2021.[1]

Early life and education

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Francis was born in Livingston, New Jersey and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He began playing the piano when he was a very young child, mimicking the sounds he heard on television. He started taking piano lessons with a classical teacher when he was four, and at 12, drawn to the blues, he began studying with boogie-woogie pianist Erwin Helfer.[2] He played in his first band, the Reverend Funk Connection, in high school, and as a teenager sat in with blues artists at Chicago clubs.[3] He briefly attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he studied architecture.[4]

Career

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Mud Morganfield, The Heard, Changes

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After graduating from high school, Francis played live dates with prominent blues artists including singer Mud Morganfield, the oldest son of Muddy Waters.[5] In 2012, he joined The Heard, an instrumental funk band, and became the band's primary songwriter.[6] A heavy drinker, and "addicted to everything",[7] Francis was kicked out of the band in 2015. After getting sober he decided to go solo.[6]

In 2017, with bassist Mike Starr and drummer PJ Howard from The Heard, Francis began recording his first album, Changes, at producer Sergio Rios' Killion Studios in Los Angeles. In a blog post, he wrote: “Drinking held my music in a half-cocked slingshot. I was always so consumed by drugs and alcohol that I didn’t have the time, money, or creative energy to do it. Sobriety let it loose." In February 2018, with the basic tracks finished, Francis signed with Karma Chief Records, a subsidiary of Colemine Records.[8] He spent the following months doing overdubs in Chicago with engineer Mike Novak. (Novak also recorded demos for the project, which were released as Changes (Demos) in 2021.) [9]

Changes was released in September 2019. It received significant praise from music critics, and made Album of the Year lists at radio stations including KEXP, KCRW, KDHX, WYCE, and KVOQ.[10][11][12][13][14]

In Plain Sight, Sentimental Garbage, Francis Comes Alive

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While touring in support of Changes, Francis and his longtime girlfriend broke up. When he returned to Chicago he moved into St. Peter's United Church of Christ, where he had once worked as a music minister. He said that a combination of sleep deprivation and emotional exhaustion emboldened him to ask if he could stay at the parsonage.[15]

Francis signed with ATO Records in 2020. He began working on his second album, In Plain Sight, during the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic. The album was recorded in a full studio attached to the parsonage that Francis built with his bandmates. Collaborating once again with Rios, In Plain Sight was recorded entirely on analog tape in a full recording studio using several analog tape machines (including a TASCAM 388 and TASCAM MS-16).[16] The band recorded the album with Rios between September and December 2020; overdubs were completed in January 2021. Grammy Award winner Dave Fridmann mixed the album later that spring.[17]

The album's first single, "Can't Stop the Rain" (featuring Derek Trucks on slide guitar), was released on August 17, 2021. It was followed by "Alameda Apartments", "Prometheus" and "Problems." The album debuted on November 5, 2021.[18]

In Plain Sight was praised by, among other media outlets, KCRW ("an unapologetically joyful, electric feel that makes for just the jolt to the system we needed"),[19] Rolling Stone (“Francis captures a sound that's somewhere between Elton John and Little Feat”),[20] and Uproxx (“lovers of Dr. John, Leon Russell, and The Meters will immediately feel at home amid Francis’ fat-bottomed, bluesy bangers”).[21]

The first radio single from In Plain Sight was "Can't Stop The Rain." It was the most added song on Adult Alternative Radio the week it debuted. It also spent 26 weeks on the Americana chart.[22][23]

In November 2022, Francis released the EP Sentimental Garbage. It included songs recorded during the original album sessions for In Plain Sight at St. Peter's, as well as cover songs recorded for the online music blog Aquarium Drunkard. Sentimental Garbage was the working title for In Plain Sight.[1]

In November 2023, Francis released a live album entitled Francis Comes Alive. Recorded to analog tape over two sold-out shows at Chicago's Thalia Hall in March 2023, the live album contained twelve songs spanning Francis' catalog. Francis supplemented his touring quartet with an additional seven band members (horns, backup singers, percussion, and auxiliary keyboards). The live release was accompanied by a concert film directed by Alec Basse.[24]

Discography

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  • Changes (2019)
  • "Don't Call Me No More" / "How Have I Lived (Reprise)" (2020)
  • Changes (Demos) EP (2021)
  • In Plain Sight (2021)
  • Sentimental Garbage EP (2022)
  • Francis Comes Alive (2023)

References

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  1. ^ a b Hudak, Joseph (2022-09-13). "Neal Francis's Cover of 'Strawberry Letter 23' Is a New Age Disco Journey". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  2. ^ "Neal Francis Gleefully Mired In 70s Style Funk". WGLT. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  3. ^ "A Conversation With Neal Francis". Magnet Magazine. 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  4. ^ "Neal Francis Was Saved by the Bell". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  5. ^ "Neal Francis performs in The Current studio". Thecurrent.org. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  6. ^ a b "Review: Neal Francis Shifts His '80s Blue-Eyed Soul and Funk Closer to Mainstream on 'In Plain Sight'". American Songwriter: Music News & Songwriting Tips. 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  7. ^ Shanker, Adam (2020-02-18). "Sobriety brings Changes to Neal Francis". The Revue. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  8. ^ "Neal Francis Gleefully Mired In 70s Style Funk". WGLT. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  9. ^ "PREMIERE: Neal Francis Revisits Unreleased "How Have I Lived" Recording For Demos EP [Listen]". L4LM. 2021-01-18. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  10. ^ "2019 Top Ten List Spotlight: Greg Vandy". Kexp.org. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  11. ^ "DJ Top 10 Lists of the Year 2019 | 89.9 FM". KCRW. 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  12. ^ KDHX. "Top 10 Albums of 2019: Hip City". KDHX. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  13. ^ "WYCE Top 50 Albums of 2019 > GRCMC". grcmc.org. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  14. ^ Whitten, Jessi. "Music In 2019: Indie 102.3 Staff Picks For Best Albums, Songs, Concerts And More". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  15. ^ "Neal Francis Was Saved by the Bell". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  16. ^ KDHX staff (December 9, 2019). "Neal Francis Reflects On 2019 and Looks Forward to His Return to St. Louis on 12/14". KDHX. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  17. ^ Anthony, Christopher. "Neal Francis: In Plain Sight [Album Review]". The Fire Note. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  18. ^ Moore, John (2021-11-05). "REVIEW: Neal Francis "In Plain Sight" • Americana Highways". Americana Highways. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  19. ^ "Premiere: Let Neal Francis' torrential "Can't Stop the Rain" shake your late summer malaise". KCRW. 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  20. ^ Hudak, Jon (2021-08-23). "RS Country Music Picks for the Week of August 23rd". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  21. ^ Hyden, Steven (2021-11-30). "Steven Hyden's Favorite Music Of November 2021". UPROXX. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  22. ^ "Top 100 Americana Radio Airplay Singles of 2021". pages.e2ma.net. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  23. ^ "Neal Francis". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
  24. ^ "Neal Francis Levels Up With 11-Piece Band On 'Francis Comes Alive'". Live For Live Music. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
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