Have you ever had that feeling where you wanted to remember where you were when you first saw somebody perform live or heard a special song on the radio? Well, the scene was the recently re-opened Soundcheck stage in Nashville and the artist that had me experiencing that rare feeling was Reprise Records newcomer Frankie Ballard. The crowd was congregated at Soundcheck to view his final full-band practice before heading out on tour with Uncle Kracker and Ty Stone for a series of 16 dates that starts tonight in Tallahassee, Florida.
Playing his complete set, Frankie Ballard came off as a charming and engaging performer. Part of that performance was the revelation (to me at least) that Frankie Ballard is one hell of a guitar player. He’s so good on the guitar that he could have easily had a career as a studio pro like a Tom Bukovac or Brent Mason or become a hired gun for the top artists in Nashville. The only problem with being a guitar slinger is that Frankie wouldn’t be able to show off his fantastic vocal ability, a voice that recalls Randy Rogers with a bit more grit.
The songs performed in the set were tracks from Frankie’s upcoming debut album which is being produced by Michael Knox (Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins). Standouts of the set were the lead single “Tell Me You Get Lonely” (which is continuing to rise up the single charts), “Get On Down The Road” and the rollicking set-closing “While The Sun Sleeps.” The lone song that wasn’t from Frankie’s album was a cover of “East Bound and Down” which allowed for a really long instrumental breakdown where the entire band was able to flex their musical chops including the second guitar player and the utility guitarist/banjo player and Frankie who did a fantastic 3-part guitar pull of sorts where the drummer sped up from the regular melody of the song to a fast, bluegrass-like session where the talent was allowed to shine through.
Witnessing Frankie Ballard live reminded me of the great Lee Roy Parnell. He’s a versatile musician with a strong voice and a strong set of songs that forecasts a bright future. If Frankie Ballard is coming near your town to perform, I’d suggest going because you can be able to say “I saw him when…” In a time when the ability to actually play and sing music in a live situation isn't nearly as revered as being able to have a big light show and dance, along comes a new guitar slinger named Frankie Ballard to help remind us why live performances are so special.
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