{"product_id":"neal-francis-in-plain-sight-cd","title":"Neal Francis – In Plain Sight (CD)","description":"\u003ch3\u003eReview\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eNeal Francis is a keyboard virtuoso with a knack for quietly soulful grooves—a sharp pop hook-writer with a penchant for psychedelic jams, a lyricist with a tongue in cheek and a heart on sleeve. Which is to say: You can trace his delightful second LP, In Plain Sight, back to a lot of obvious influences: Leon Russell, Elton John, The Flaming Lips, Steely Dan. But he combines those sounds in ways that always feel a bit surprising. \"Alameda Apartments\" opens the album with a shining rainbow of piano, synth and harpsichord, with Francis' lyrics adding a surreal layer—a ghost haunting—into what initially scans as a straightforward breakup tale. \"Can't Stop the Rain\" rolls around in the bluesy mud, with the frontman's sleepy croon brushing up Derek Trucks' signature slide-guitar spasms and a crunchy keyboard tone that feels like it could have been recorded in 1967. \"Prometheus\" sounds like MGMT after spending a weekend holed up with jazz-funk vinyl and some A-1 weed, spiralling its laid-back vamp into a full-blown psychedelic climax, complete with a wailing guitar and stair-step synth bounce. After a fake-out ending, \"Sentimental Garbage\" transforms from a melancholy soul tune into lava-lamp-worthy, art-rock show piece. All of these sonic twists (captured, naturally, on tape and largely recorded in a Chicago church) are accentuated by the reliably organic mix of Dave Fridmann—a kindred spirit in every sense. But you get the sense Francis' rock-solid songcraft would even survive on a bedroom four-track.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e— Ryan Reed, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/relix.com\/reviews\/detail\/neal-francis-in-plain-sight\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eRelix\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"relix-editorial\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChicago's Neal Francis occupies a rare space where classic New Orleans funk and soul traditions meet modern rock restlessness, drawing comparisons to Allen Toussaint and Leon Russell while remaining distinctly his own voice. His debut, *Changes*, announced a deep connection to analog warmth and roots-soaked songwriting, and *In Plain Sight* pushes that foundation into more introspective, layered territory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNeal Francis’ sophomore album offers up a body of work both enchanting and painfully self-aware. Recorded entirely on tape and mixed by Grammy Award-winner Dave Fridmann (Spoon, Tame Impala, Flaming Lips), the set spotlights Francis’s refined yet free-spirited piano playing, an instrument he took up at age four. The songs came to life over the course of a tumultuous year spent living in a (possibly) haunted church in Chicago. The result: a portrait of profound upheaval and weary resilience.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv data-bt-autogen\u003e\n\u003c!-- TRACKLIST_START --\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTracklist\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e1. Alameda Apartments (4:39)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e2. Problems (3:58)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e3. Can't Stop the Rain (4:06)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e4. D'Artagnan (0:40)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e5. Prometheus (5:11)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e6. Sentimental Garbage (6:06)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e7. Asleep (4:44)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e8. BNYLV (5:56)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e9. Say Your Prayers (4:20)\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c!-- TRACKLIST_END --\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUPC:\u003c\/strong\u003e 880882443320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLabel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ato Records\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e 11.5.21\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e CD\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Broadtime","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48455532511387,"sku":"154156","price":13.46,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1041\/7172\/files\/packshot-neal-francis-in-plain-sight-cd-relix.jpg?v=1777566521","url":"https:\/\/relix.shop\/products\/neal-francis-in-plain-sight-cd","provider":"relix.shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}