It's funny how an artist is virtually anonymous and then suddenly you hear them everywhere. Within a day of hearing Francis Jocky for the first time, I heard him on various other podcasts and so the snowball begins. I've heard Francis compared with Seal , he of Kiss from a Rose fame, but I just don't hear it, Francis has a much earthier sound, rather than that of high production pop. If I had to pick a singer to compare Francis with, it would be more Issac Hayes . However I do still hear an incredible artist with an incredible album.

The album opens with the title track, Mr Pain and the album just builds from there. A special mention has to be made of the absolutely fabulous music, which really is no surprise, when you read up on his musical pedigree. After his studies at the Universities Paris V and La Sorbonne, where he achieved his doctorate, he decided to devote himself entirely to his music, later forming a partnership with Jon Anderson , lead singer of YES and releasing an album as Know. He's also performed with Stevie Wonder and U2 , that's quite a feat.

At first hearing Francis sing, it's a shock to the system, as the music is preparing you for something quite different, but who cares, it works and very well indeed. With 12 tracks on the album, you can hear an incredibly diverse range of music. Every song is well crafted, with some very lush music. Standout tracks for me are Mr Pain , Higher Love and We Are .

Conclusion : This is such an amazing album, that if it was reviewed last year, would cerainly have been in my top 5 for the year. 2006 is going to be a good year for music if this album is anything to go by.                                             Press Review Menu

Indie LaunchPad 

* Band / Artist : Francis Jocky

    * Genre : Pop / Soul / Mellow

    * Download : Higher Love

    * Rating : 9 out of 10