New Music 2018: Be More Kind - Frank Turner

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Be More Kind - Frank Turner

Xtra Mile/Interscope Records/Polydor

Produced by Austin Jenkins, Joshua Block and Charlie Hugall

Released 4th May 2018

Listen Here To Tracks from

Be More Kind

Songs on the Playlist above include:

Don't Worry (Live at SXSW 2018)

1933 (Album Version)

Little Changes (Promo Video)

Be More Kind (Album Version)

Make America Great Again (Promo Version)

There She Is (Live Acoustic Version)

Blackout (Promo Video)

Get It Right (Live Version with the bonus of Get Better from Swindon show in January 2018)

Personnel
Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls

    Frank Turner – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
    Ben Lloyd – electric guitar, backing vocals
    Tarrant Anderson – bass guitar, backing vocals
    Matt Nasir – piano, organ, synthesizer, backing vocals
    Nigel Powell – drums and percussion, backing vocals

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Be More Kind is the seventh Studio Album from Frank Turner and once again he's backed by his impressive band The Sleeping Souls.

Read NME Interview with Frank Turner (January 2018) Here.

Sêan Reid of Already Heard awarded the album 2/5 stars, referring to the album's varied sonic palette as "uneasy and somewhat inconsistent" and stating that "Be More Kind is a record that requires patience, yet the musical substance that supports his empathetic lyrics makes for a difficult listen." I don't want to seem picky with a music critic but sometimes they just have to get their head out of their rear ends and just enjoy music for what it is, music, rather than trying to treat it as if it is some kind of world changing ideology to be pulled apart piece by piece at the Debate Society to make sure it fits with their own perspective on life!

I've listened to the album three times today and I really don't see how Frank's lyrics make this a "difficult listen", infact, I think this is some of the best Songwriting that Mr Turner has put out and there's an immediate connection for those who are maybe going through tough days and also a lovely sense of humanity, especially with the title track:

 "In a world that has decided
That it's going to lose its mind
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind"

There's nothing too "difficult" with that is there?

Frank is also one known to speak his mind a little and in Make America Great Again he sets it out clearly:

"Let's make America great again
By making racists ashamed again
Let's make compassion in fashion again
Let's make America great again"

 

He won't be getting much love from the Republicans and the Alt-Right crowd for singing stuff like:

 

 "Let's be a friend to our oldest friends
And call them out when they're faltering"

 

The decision though, as to whether this is a good album or not, ultimately comes down to you and not the critic in his office tyring to make a buck for a living. For me, I think it's fabulous. It's a nice mix of sounds as well from the loud to the quiet and actually I sometimes prefer Frank Turner when he gets a bit quieter as the sheer quality of his lyrics shine through much better.

 

Frank Turner

SXSW 

16th March 2018