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Francis and the Lights
Fortress
By Brian Baker
Francis Farewell Starlite may have a high profile in the hip-hop community because of his opening slots with Jeezy and Drizzy and his collaboration with Drake on Thank Me Later. In his group configuration as Francis and the Lights, Starlite stands at the crossroads of ’70s R&B, ’80s slick synth prog and contemporary indie pop, as evidenced on a pair of previous EPs but most prominently on the Lights’ full –length debut, the eight-song, 27-minute It’ll Be Better. Starlite definitely delights in couching his songs in a sophisticated production context on It’ll Be Better but thankfully that sophistication never leaks into excessively swollen bombast. Starlite operates in the appealing vein of Peter Gabriel’s post-Genesis pop explorations, with a similar sense of subtlety and understatement, particularly on the airy “In a Limousine,” and the gently forceful beat pop of “Darling, It’s Alright,” featuring Starlite’s pleading vocal.
The ’80s-tinged dance pop of “For Days” bobs and weaves and starts and stops with a quiet effervescence that makes Maroon 5 seem overplayed and histrionic by comparison, while “Knees to the Floor” suggests a Gabriel/Michael McDonald collaboration with a slight gospel pop undercurrent, “Tap the Phone” offers shades of Randy Newman’s sardonic lyrical and musical perspective and “Get in the Car” will clearly attract any fan of Francis Dunnery’s folk/pop excursions from the ’90s. With all of the innocuous, sugary pop that currently clogs the airwaves, the tasteful restraint and polished intelligence of Francis and the Lights would certainly make a refreshing style shift.
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