Olivia Frances: “Orchid” (2019) CD Review

Olivia Frances is a talented, young singer and songwriter (apparently she just graduated from Clark University, in my home city of Worcester, Mass.), mixing pop and folk elements to create a fairly positive and cheerful sound, music that should raise your spirits. Her latest full-length album, Orchid, her third, features all original material, written or co-written by Olivia Frances. Joining her on this release are William Ellis on drums, Pat Lassiter on bass, Mike Holmes on keys, Will Doughty on keys, Mike Durham on guitar, and Shayne Hill on guitar.

The album opens with its title track, “Orchid,” a good pop song with a well-drawn central character. When it kicks in, this tune has something of an early 1960s vibe, which I dig. “Now she’s on her own, living in the city/Working hard and singing little ditties.” “Orchid” was written by Olivia Frances and Michael Astrachan. That’s followed by “Moon To My Sun,” a wonderful song with a pleasant pop sound. Her vocal delivery has a sweet, almost dreamy quality here, and yet the song has a strange power. “Oh, darling, I think I love you/I’m not sure what you’re made of/But I must be made of it too.” I also like the percussion on this track.

“Porcelain” has a straighter pop sound, particularly during the chorus. This one creates another vivid character, opening with these lines: “She sits alone in a pink chair/By the window of a café/She sips hot tea off a tray/Every weekday/Like she’s on display.” That’s followed by “Flowers For Myself,” which goes a bit too far into the pop realm for my taste. I prefer the next track, “It Just Takes One.” Sure, it is ridiculously positive, but it seems we need this sort of thing these days, more than at any other point I can recall during my lifetime. I mean, things are screwed up out there, and we want to feel like we can effect some change, both in our own lives and in the world at large. This song reminds us that it is possible, that we are not powerless. “It just takes one smile to brighten someone’s day/It just takes one laugh to chase the blues away/If someone’s feeling down and out/Lend a hand, help him out.”

“Once In A Blue Moon” is for me one of the album’s highlights. It has a sweet, pretty, delightful and engaging folk-pop sound, a sound you can drift away upon. “‘Cause once in a blue moon/He buys her flowers/Takes her by the hand/And looks into her eyes/Once in a blue moon/He holds her tight/Whispers in her ear/And kisses her good night.” There is something pretty about “The Bee & The Rose” too, which has an enchanting vibe and a wonderful vocal line. This song has what is probably the album’s best vocal performance.

There are more positive vibes in “Do You Know?” with Olivia asking us “Do you know just how lovely you are?” and “Do you know just how special you are?” But of course it’s the “Do do do do” vocal part that is the most positive and totally catchy. You might not want to like this song, particularly if you’re feeling cynical and pessimistic, but you will probably end up enjoying it. She follows that with a mellower folk tune, “Cocoon.” While most of the album was recorded in Nashville, this track was recorded in Amherst, Massachusetts. The CD then concludes with “Makin’ Room For You.” On the CD case, it is listed as a bonus track, but no one has yet adequately explained to me how an album can have a bonus track on its initial release. Anyway, it has a pleasant vibe with something of a 1970s influence. I dig the saxophone toward the end of the track. That’s James Zavala on sax. “I’m getting rid of the old/And getting ready for new/Oh baby, I’m making room for you.”

CD Track List

1. Orchid
2. Moon To My Sun
3. Porcelain
4. Flowers For Myself
5. It Just Takes One
6. Once In A Blue Moon
7. Lettin’ Summer Shine
8. The Bee & The Rose
9. Do You Know?
10. Cocoon
11. Makin’ Room For You 

Orchid was released on June 14, 2019.