I never would have put Michael Franks and Valerie Simpson together performing a duet on an album. On the surface, they appear so different. Franks, the wry, cool vocalist out of the jazz school. Simpson was co-writer of some of the great soul song while at Motown for artists like Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell before she and songwriting and life partner, husband Nicholas Ashford, became the preeminent R&B duet act of the 1970s and 80s.
The thing is Michael Franks is not too shabby as a duet partner himself, as fans heard on tunes such as “When I Give My Love to You,” a classic that paired him with Brenda Russell, who is also a great singer/songwriter.
I never would have put Michael Franks and Valerie Simpson together performing a duet on an album. On the surface, they appear so different. Franks, the wry, cool vocalist out of the jazz school. Simpson was co-writer of some of the great soul song while at Motown for artists like Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell before she and songwriting and life partner, husband Nicholas Ashford, became the preeminent R&B duet act of the 1970s and 80s.
The thing is Michael Franks is not too shabby as a duet partner himself, as fans heard on tunes such as “When I Give My Love to You,” a classic that paired him with Brenda Russell, who is also a great singer/songwriter.
Viewed from that standpoint this Lost Gem, “Now Love Has No End,” the Franks-Simpson collaboration that appeared on Franks’ 1999 album Barefoot on the Beach, makes all the sense in the world. It’s game recognizing game. Two artists who by that time had achieved legendary status in their respective genres who came together to find commonality in their distinct styles.
Franks wrote “Now Love Has No End,” and the tune contains his unique flourishes, such as cultural references to jazz music or 1950s and 60s books and movies. The song itself tells the story of a hopeless romantic who’s giving up hope of ever have the kind of love found in poetry books or in movies, until…
Simpson’s energetic and pop influenced vocal meshes nicely with Frank’s jazzy, laid back and conversational delivery. Check it out here.
By Howard Dukes