On The Rocks
Self-Released, 2022
8/10
Although best known as an actor, during the pandemic Fritz Michel turned his creativeness to songwriting, and these 5 fun tunes illustrate his bilingual roots, diverse experience and affinity for pop music.
“On The Rocks” starts the listen with a smooth, pop-friendly appeal that’s got a bit of soul in a scrappy sort of way, and “King Of Corona” follows with a retro-rock spirit that’s sometimes dreamy and always melodic.
“We Are What We Are” arrives at the half way point and soars with a very mature warmth that’s quite personal, while “Suddenly You Love Me” is a bit frisky, entirely memorable and flows with some Brit-pop nods. “Siffler sur la Colline” exits the listen with singing in French, and sure does put a playful spin on the Joe Dassin popularized classic.
With the pandemic (hopefully) winding down, there’s little doubt that Michel will go back to acting. Let’s hope he still finds time to play music, too, as his nostalgic vision reminds us of all the great sounds of the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Travels well with: Matt Simons- Identity Crisis; Eddie Berman- Broken English