Donavon Frankenreiter is known for his quirkiness, his mellow music, and his surfing. On this, his newest collection of original tunes, he shows off the mellow side of himself once again, as seen on his debut self titled album as well as its Hawaiian reincarnation released earlier this year. Frankenreiter buckles down and simplifies all of his tunes so that his lyrics and the messages he sings about are the highlight of the album, with the acoustic guitar taking a more prominent role and the electric taking a back seat. The title track is the first single and it's already blowing up the airwaves. It's possibly the most well received of his singles since he released "Free." Two songs which surfaced as acoustic demos after the release of his last album ("Home," "Hold On") get the full musical treatment this time and are two of the album's standout tracks. His quirkiness has it's place on this album as well and it comes in the form of "Dance Like Nobody's Watching," which sounds like such a cheesy title, but is actually an incredible love song that is reminiscent of Jack Johnson's "Better Together." Continuing with his unconventional ways, the album's cover actually glows in the dark. Donavon Frankenreiter is a unique soul, and his music is right there each step of the way, and his latest has him placing his feet (almost) firmly on the ground and connecting with his listeners on a very personal and accessible level.
Redoing an album is not the most traditional thing to do. When Donavon Frankenreiter decided to take a new stab at his self titled debut album, he decided not to redo the album, but revisit and reinvent the music that was so excellent already the first time around. He decided to take 10 songs from his debut album and reinterpret the music using traditional Hawaiian instruments and styles, adding a tropical vibe to his already sunsoaked tunes. The end result is an album unlike any other. The lyrics and vibe of the music is so perfect for this style. There are no guest vocalists this time around, and songs like "Free" and "What'cha Know About" take on a whole new life this time around. "Heading Home," "Call Me Papa," and "Butterfly" are all perfect suited for this style of music, and the lyrics mold beautifully with Frankenreiters new take on the music. Donavon Frankenreiter continues to be an incredibly unique and inventive singer/songwriter, and with each new composition he always ads a whole new spin on his great music. He's quite an eccentric soul, and this album shows a new side to him and his music that is just plain awesome.