"Songs of Hope Desperation and Love", the new solo album from Frank Schwinn is a classic break-up album where most of the songs are dealing with the time after the break-up of a longlasting relationship. And with the emotional ups and downs of a man who built a brickwall around his heart but nevertheless can´t abstain from casual affairs with women.
The songs are angry, sarcastic, disillusioned, sometimes full of madness, sometimes full of melancholia, but never without irony. And so the vocal performance.
"Much too beautiful" finally is the song that points toward a new found emotional home and safetyness.
This album definitely is a blues album, but not limited to simple 12 bar forms.
It was recorded mostly with a cheap 3-string "cigar box slide guitar", played and sung live in a living room and recorded to analog tape.
An old drum machine was added on "much too beautiful", "living in this country" and "don´t stifle me" which gives the CD it´s underground flavour.
As always, Frank Schwinn is grooving in a minimalistic, but demanding way!
