Warren Franklin is a man possessed. From basement to bedroom to club after club, Franklin truly calls the road his home. In fact, it seems the only thing that has kept him from his beloved road was to record his Count Your Lucky Stars debut, Your Heart Belongs to the Midwest.
In his second full length effort, Franklin wastes no time, bursting out of the gates with the aggressive “Bro Downs Know No Bounds”- a song so popular live that the audience roars the words so loud, even Franklin’s voice is drowned out. From there, the album runs the gamut of emotions- mixing in styling’s ranging from the mid-90’s acoustic-laden emo ala Kind of Like Spitting to 50’s era pop.
Franklin’s strength, and indeed the meat of the album, comes from voice, which ranges from aggressive howls to breathy whimpers. We aren’t talking those smooth Dashboard Confessional tones here- we’re talking honest and unmanufactured emotion. And it carries us through each track, accompanied by acoustic guitars, trumpets, and percussion.
While the road may not have always been kind to Warren, it has certainly done wonders to his craft. Lucky for us, we can sit at home in our cozy beds and listen to Your Heart, while he struggles out there on the road.
Out of print, digital only.
First Pressing:
150 Black
350 Blood Red