WHAT SOME CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT GULF COAST BLUE:
"Denice Franke writes vivid, compelling musical short stories that adeptly blend empathy and danger...lithe, mesmerizing
voice and acoustic guitar..." --- Wayne Robins/Billboard
"As musician, writer, and singer, she [Franke] can stand with the best...." --- Rick Allen/Vintage Guitar
"20 years ago sitting around a campfire in Kerrville, Texas, at 2 in the morning, I heard this amazing voice and thought I
was dreaming. I'm happy to say that it turned out to be a reoccurring dream. Denice Franke's Gulf Coast Blue is firmly in
my Top 10 list of best releases of 2008." --- Ed Becker/Co-Host of 'Songwriter Showcase' at KDHX in St. Louis
"In Gulf Coast Blue, Denice Franke has given us a recording full of memorable tales that read like great fiction and play
like some of the best music on the acoustic scene today.....Gulf Coast Blue is one of the best recordings of the year."
--- Roberta B. Schwartz/FAME
"Gulf Coast Blue is as unerring in its sense of place as it is colorful and piercing in its depictions of the forces
tugging at people making their way across landscapes measured both in literal and metaphysical miles." ---
David McGee/Thebluegrassspecial.com
"Denice Franke will introduce you to a range of characters as you listen to the eleven songs on Gulf Coast Blue.
There's an elegant one, and several who’ve been crushed and wounded by circumstance, and taken that in different ways,
some who are celebrating, at least one who's watching. In Franke's stories, they come alive in just a few moments — a few
moments, it seems by her storytelling, that are vivid snapshots from lives that have existed before and go on after the
life of the song....Franke knows how to tell their stories, in a husky and immediately recognizable voice. This time out,
that voice is framed in melodies that are just a bit bluer than her earlier work, and in the ever shifting world that is
life along the Gulf of Mexico. Mark Hallman, who has also worked with top singer and songwriter Eliza Gilkyson, produced
the project, leaving just the right amount of space for Franke's voice and ideas." --- Kerry Dexter/bloggernews.net
"I have to admit to being initially underwhelmed by this record as I tried to cram a quick scan-through into my all-too-busy
schedule. Then I hit track 8, 'Tara Lee,' which was so brilliant I was forced to go back and reevaluate my attitude toward
Gulf Coast Blue. As I listened again (and again and again), I recognized the depth of the songwriting and the heartfelt
soulfulness of Franke's vocal performances, and I realized this album is pretty special." --- Steve Circeo/Texas Music Times
"The tunes of singer/songwriter Franke blur the boundaries of folk, blues and pop. The music is first-rate and the melodies
are interesting, but it's the lyrics and delivery that set these 11 numbers apart from the crowd. Like an anthology of
short stories, the songs tell of real people..There's something unique about Franke's voice that breathes life into these
vignettes of humanity. Her almost deadpan and easy vocals help make each track something special. There are no studio
gimmicks for emphasis, just a steady and captivating manner of singing that makes her a topnotch and potent storyteller." --- Ken Rosenbaum/Toledo Blade
"Soothing and seductive, honest and intriguing, Franke's third album is easily her most impressive effort yet."
---
Lee Zimmerman/Broward-Palm Beach New Times
"Denice Franke's Gulf Coast Blue (Certain) comes by comparisons to Eliza Gilkyson and Nanci Griffith honestly....Franke
polished her songwriting to a high gloss, reflected beautifully in Blue. With heavyweight help from the likes of Gilkyson,
Rick Richards, Spencer Starnes, and Robert McEntee, Franke's voice is dusty-sultry, and her songs of life on Galveston
Island ring as bright as the sun rising over the Gulf of Mexico." --- Margaret Moser/Austin Chronicle
"a deep, smoky voice that brings to mind Mary Chapin Carpenter at times. Accented only by her acoustic guitar and the
occasional, tasteful electric flourish, standouts here include the cool vibe of "Gibraltar" and wistful, dreamy "Elegance."
"Cool Water" could stand as a lost Lucinda Williams track..." --- Bob Ruggiero/Houston Pr ess
"a soulful singer with a rich, smoky voice..." --- Susie Kopecky/Celebrity Cafe
More Quotes
* "Franke's record offers musical options as roomy and inviting as a Texas
landscape." --- Clay Steakley --- Performing Songwriter
* "From those early Kerrville campfires to her angelic harmonizing with Nanci Griffith and that classic
unreleased tape with Mickie Merkens...to crowded folk venues from Texas to Switzerland, Denice Franke's music has
always moved me. She's a deeply talented writer, singer, and guitarist. One of Texas' finest." --- Tom Russell ---
Frontera Music --- Canutillo, Tx
* "Denice Franke is a sensitive and compelling singer and songwriter." --- Lyle Lovett
* "I first heard about Denice Franke about 20 years ago when she was singing
with the Beacon City Band out of San Marcos. She has the most natural
singing voice I have ever experienced. She has the ability to find harmony
lines that make anyone she's singing with sound better. Over the years I
watched her work hard at her songwriting and the result has been some
important songs." --- Eric Taylor - Blue Ruby Music - Columbus, Tx
* "She (Franke) is not just another talented Texan, she'll break your heart and put it back together with sheer performance ability and wit." --- Mark Morgenstern, Rosendale Cafe
* "I was taken with her voice and the songs she revealed. And I have been a loyal fan ever since." --- John Gorka
* "If Mary Chapin Carpenter and Joni Mitchell had a daughter, this is how she'd sound." --- Entertainment Weekly's
Alanna Nash
* "A fine Texas singer / songwriter - the kind that seem to come out of the woodwork in the Lonestar State,
but keep proving there's always more room in the world for good songs." --- Roni Sarig - Creative Loafing
* "Franke's gorgeous unconventional vocal excursions pin me to the wall." --- Iain Matthews
* "These songs are gritty and full of true emotion." --- Samuel Barker - Rockzone.com
* "Franke makes you feel privy to every complexity of an intimate relationship."" ---
Bob Strauss - Los Angeles Daily News
* "As a chronicler of character and moment, Franke proves a sure hand." --- Craig Havighurst - The Tennessean
* "Franke's sweet, full, fluid voice will beguile you." --- Rich Warren - Sing Out!
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