Midwestern: The Very Best of Stewart Francke 1995-2015

Stewart's music is incredibly soulful with unique poetic lyrics that transport the listener to the shores of the Great Lakes or wherever one's getaway place is. I can't say enough about his work; you just have to hear it and listen.

Stewart Francke as been kicking around the Detroit area as a solo artist for over 20 years now and this best of collection does an admirable job of capturing the essence of what makes him an outstanding representative of the Detroit music scene: smart melodic songs, stellar musicianship, crisp clear production, and warm heartfelt vocal performances that continually enrich and inform the listener. Francke's two highest profile collaborations are included here, "Upon Seeing Simone" featuring vocals from local Detroit legend Mitch Ryder, and "Summer Soldier" featuring vocals from worldwide legend Bruce Springsteen. Both are excellent examples of what Francke does best: sturdy rock steady songs invested with sweaty Midwestern sensibilities and values. "Sam Cooke's on the Radio", "Skin to Skin", and "For Want of a Nail" tenderly hammers home his R&B influences. "Motor City Serenade" is a sublime love song to Detroit, boasting a wonderful tasty performance from Motown’s Funk Brothers. “House of Lights” and “Heart of a Heartless World” are would be AOR classics if such a medium existed today. Two new songs are presented here, “Shimmer” a nice gentle rolling love song and “Simone” a moving tribute to the muse who inspired the aforementioned “Upon Seeing Simone” who recently passed away. Both songs fit in well with the rest of the songs here and do not feel out of place at all. I don’t have any major disagreements with the song selections, sure I would have chosen “Better Get To Know Your Broken Heart” or “Got Your Back” but it is hard to disagree with what was chosen by Stewart himself to represent his best work of the past two decades as I am sure he sweated “what to leave on, what to leave off” as once was stated by his fellow Detroit rocker Bob Seger in “Against the Wind”. Midwestern The Very Best of Stewart Francke 1995-2015 is an excellent tasty overview of his two decades and counting long career. He has spent this wisely doing his best to help us make “sense of this world with two guitars, bass and drums”.

Stewart Francke's story is compelling and he brings this life to this collection of music. Those of us in the Detroit area know of this man's commitment and inspired work. And if Bruce Springsteen will sing backup with an artist (as he does in "Summer Soldier"), that should be a strong hint. Essential Listening!!!