Rodney Franklin – You'll Never Know

A great laid-back and lazy album from the golden age of jazzy, instrumental pop (you know, yacht rock). The years 1977 to 1982 were the best of this genre, and You'll Never Know fits perfect. Parts of this album are very jazzy; "God Bless the Blues" and "Journey" are tasteful piano pieces. But the highlights for me are "Felix Leo" and "The Watcher," a slow, mysterious, thoughtful track. For some reason these tracks go great whilst watching a severe storm; I first experienced this listening to the slower tracks on Herbie Hancock's Man-Child record.

The rest of the album is good. There are radio-friendly hits like "The Groove" and the title-track. "Return" is a return to the intricate piano work of the first side. "Parkay Man" is another uptempo number that's a bit more dated, but in a good way.

All in all, it's a nice, mostly mellow record; it's expertly produced and performed and quite enjoyable. Too bad it's been essentially forgotten and never released on CD. It's easily the best Rodney Franklin album, as subsequent recordings would largely descend into more commercial, less jazzy territory.

Rodney Franklin was at the top of his game for this 1980 LP. Alongside the dancefloor favourite "The Groove", the track that all heads need is "Felix Leo" - a sublime string-led instrumental killer, with arrangements by Paul Buckmaster. Moody, deep, uplifting, emotive - all in equal parts. This is the track you need, and worth whatever you pay for this LP. A must have for every music lover. Brilliant!