Frenchie Moe – Soul Full Tonight (Album Review)

Frenchie Moe channels her inner James Brown with a touch of Prince and loads of femininity.

Influenced by the soulful Southern Creole sound of American blues, Frenchie performs like someone who has a deep passion for the genre and understands what makes its most iconic artists so good.

The album begins with “Fight You Like A Man,” an angsty-personality-driven opener that combines the unpredictable whiny vocals of James Brown with the zealous flair of Prince in a fantastically unique way.

The instrumentation on the track takes over in traditional blues fashion, formulating a stylish soundscape of smokey bars and late-night jazz.

“Backup Plan” follows up with a cool back-and-forth dynamic between Frenchie and the featured artist, Bruce Sunpie Barnes, singing about casual love. The chemistry between the two adds a layer of storytelling to the song and further enhances Frenchie’s femme fatale as she embodies a jazzy noir-esque character throughout the album.

“Girlfriend” shakes things up a bit with faster-paced instrumentation that has a distinct, slightly rock and roll tinge compared to the rest of the album.

“Crawfish Heads,” as the title may suggest, totes distinctly southern-sounding instrumentation with a sense of Louisiana heat. My favourite thing about the song is the subtle, groovy acoustics that drive the overall vibe of the track.

“Slow Down”, however, is definitely the album’s biggest highlight and the best rendition of what a blues song should be. The high-pitched, plucky keys combined with the effortless suave of the electric guitar complement each other fantastically.

“Furry Slippers” is another track that just becomes a three-minute jazz frenzy that feels like caramel for the ears.

On the other hand, it was at this point in the album that I felt like I wanted Frenchie to do something else. On a lot of the songs, it feels like she is doing rinse-and-repeat performances that all sound way too similar to each other.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Frenchie nails the genre and aesthetic she’s going for; however, her performances started to get a little tedious, especially when the band was giving her everything on a plate.

I feel like Frenchie could benefit in the future from varying her cadences and taking on different voice styles and tones to make her albums a little more interesting and varied.

SCORE/GOOD:

Album Highlights: “Back Up Plan”, “Girlfriend”, “Slow Down”, “Fight You Like A Man” and “Furry Slippers.”

Album Lowpoints: “Gator Bags a Beaver”, “I’m Into Something”

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