A new and exciting chapter unfolds as Too Slow To Disco joins forces with Warner Music for a series of official reworks. This collaboration, years in the making, kicks off with reimagined tracks from none other than Michael Franks, the legendary voice of California’s West Coast jazz and yacht rock scene. Franks, who personally endorsed these new versions, has spent over three decades and 16 albums weaving together lush, sensuous lyrics with a masterful blend of jazz, soul, and pop influences. His music has been interpreted by icons like The Carpenters, Shirley Bassey, and Natalie Cole, while also resonating with today’s Balearic and soft-disco artists.
Michael Franks’ “Chain Reaction” from Sleeping Gypsy (1977) is a refined exploration of love’s complexities, portrayed not as grand passion but as an inevitable chain of emotional cause-and-effect. Its smooth jazz-pop arrangement, featuring Joe Sample on piano and David Sanborn on sax, contrasts with the weight of its themes—where love, both tender and destructive, leaves irreversible marks. The song’s understated power lies in how it mirrors life’s cyclical nature: effortless on the surface, but filled with emotional depth and bittersweet truths about connection and consequence.
At the helm of these reworks is Parisian producer, DoctorSoul, a long-time collaborator with Too Slow To Disco. His versions of Franks’ work have been circulating online, but now, they’re finally getting an official release. Known for his wide-ranging remixes, DoctorSoul has lent his touch to artists across genres, from jazz luminaries like Tania Maria to modern acts like Jeff Cascaro and Mandoo. This release is more than a rework – it’s a tribute to Franks’ enduring influence on a new generation of listeners.
DoctorSoul’s reworking of Michael Franks’ “Chain Reaction” is an act of devotion, a reinvention that respects the original while pulling it into fresh, relevant territory. Over the years, DoctorSoul has made a name for himself by breathing new life into forgotten gems and gleaming classics, and here, his gift for precision and nuance is on full display. It is obvious he knows the contours of Franks’ music intimately, and in this meticulously crafted rework, he preserves its heart while expanding its horizons.
The new arrangement of “Chain Reaction (DoctorSoul’s “You Can’t Fake It) Extended Intro Re-Therapy)” is an elegant balance of smooth saxophone lines and layered keyboards, capturing the slick, polished beauty of late ’70s jazz fusion. Franks’ vocals are delivered with a kind of effortless precision – casual but exact – gliding over an instrumental track that is as sophisticated as it is accessible. It’s in this interplay that Franks’ genius lies, to which DoctorSoul connects seamlessly: the merging of jazz’s layered complexity with pop’s ease of entry. Yet, beneath the track’s new cool surface, there’s an undercurrent of exacting craftsmanship, a meticulous blending of genres that never loses sight of Franks’ singular vision, or his ability to make intricate music feel entirely natural. Not too much, just right.
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