Frank Shiner is a unique new singer whose vocals evoke a certain sound associated with the old school American Songbook era. But all comparisons end there, as is clearly evident on Shiner's debut album, The Real Me, set for release on Bakerson/Pyramid Records, Universal Music Group on June 24th 2014. To celebrate the release of the CD, Shiner will perform at 54 Below in New York City on June 25th and at The Winery At St. George in Mohegan Lake, New York on July 8th. He will also be signing albums and performing songs from the upcoming release at Barnes & Noble in his hometown of Wilkes-Barre, PA on June 27th. The debut single from the album entitled "Feels Like Home" is currently Top 5 on the AC Radio Charts.
Many of
the song selections on The Real Me have distinct blues overtones and are
lyrically rooted in the generation that belongs to Paul Simon, Tom Waits, Van
Morrison, and Randy Newman, just a few of the contemporary composers whose work
is showcased on Shiner's album. The
finishing touch is the deft studio mastery of producer Gary Katz, best known
for his tasty work on the classic series of albums by Steely Dan, as well as
landmark albums from Donald Fagen (The Nightfly), Laura Nyro, Joe Cocker and
others.
A number
of tunes on the album are dedicated to Frank's longtime love affair with his
wife Suzanne - a fearless cancer survivor. Her bravery and encouragement led
Shiner to follow his muse and rekindle his calling as a singer and actor that
he had put on the back burner many years before, when he set out to provide for
his young family. Recording these
near-biographical songs was the realization of a dream that only resurfaced
three years ago.
Shiner
was recently introduced to audiences on the 2013 holiday single "Driving
Home For Christmas" (also produced by Katz), a holiday evergreen from the
pen of Chris Rea, the eclectic jazz and blues-influenced British
singer-songwriter. The single hit Amazon's Top 50 Song Chart with proceeds from
iTunes and Amazon sales of the single being donated to St. Jude Children's
Hospital, the favorite charity of Shiner's late father.
Shiner's
decision to chart a new course for the Standard Songbook follows through on The
Real Me. With Katz establishing the well-crafted
moods for which he is known, Shiner has succeeded in establishing himself as a
modern singer in the genre of the Grobans and Bubles of the world. "The
idea," Shiner says, "was to combine the attitude and musical values
of the music that inspired me – the era of Sinatra and Darin – with a more
contemporary body of material."
The arc
of Shiner's musical artistry swings in that special place where his lifetime of
experiences in singing and acting are able to breathe together and tell a
story. Like the album's title tune, the
Doc Pomus/Dr. John masterpiece "The Real Me," Shiner appreciates a
story with a beginning, middle, and an end.
"As a student of Shakespeare," Shiner explains, "as a
student of language, the song is a play, and the lyric is the most important
thing to me. If a pretty sound comes out
after that or along with that, it's a bonus, never the goal."
Yet it
is a goal that Shiner accomplishes with an unexpected jazzy ease, from the
deliciously simplicity of Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue," to his cool
sexy rhythmical approach of Tom Waits' "Temptation". Shiner takes a romantic vocal approach to
Randy Newman's "Feels Like Home," Jimmy Webb's timeless "It's a
Sin (When You Love Somebody)" and Van Morrison's overlooked song of
eternal hope and yearning, "Brand New Day." Shiner's interpretation of the Roxy Music
rarity "To Turn You On" and his sexy swing approach to Leonard
Cohen's "I'm Your Man" are two of the album's welcome surprises. A
pair of tunes are drawn from Paul Simon's blues-drenched One Trick Pony movie
soundtrack, "Nobody" and "Long Long Day," well-handled by
Shiner and Katz. The repertoire for The
Real Me was developed by Shiner and A&R veteran Mitchell Cohen (Columbia,
Arista and Verve Records) and will be available on June 24, 2014.
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