Frank Goodman is a veteran of many years in the field of music, having spent much time touring with the Goodman Brothers (Frank and his brother Billy) in both the U.S. and Europe. All the Way Down is Frank's first solo release. Co-produced by Jack Irwin, the album was recorded in Nashville using veteran studio musicians, and is on a label recently started by Frank's other brother Jon.

All The Way Down is a mix of jazz and pop with some bluesy overtones. Frank is a more than adequate guitarist but truly shines as both a vocalist and songwriter. The dozen tunes on All the Way Down were either written or co-written by Frank. A lot of the music on the CD reminds me of the music of John Sebastian with his mix of jazzy acoustic guitar and pop.

Standout tracks on are "I Love the Way That You Love Me," "Mostly Sunny," which is one of the songs which most reminds me of John Sebastian, and "Day or Night," a sensual song that I could imagine being a hit by any number of today's pop artists. Other standouts on the CD include "Dr. Zhivago," with its Latin beat, "When the Night Falls," which is a blues-rock song with a very nice organ part, and "All the Way Down," which is pure pop. However my favorite cut on All the Way Down is the bluesy "Jesus Loves Me," with some very clever lyrics.

I found All the Way Down to be a very satisfying musical experience with the only drawback being the CD weighs in at just over 45 minutes -- a bit light by current standards.

[ by Robert Buck ]