The Captain Francisco’s (aka Charlie Jones) debut album Showbusiness finds a way to avoid being pigeonholed into one genre When you turn the music on, you find yourself dancing to an electronic beat with one song and analyzing the meaning behind the following track. The Captain Francisco’s talent gives the music on this album a sincere meaning while simultaneously inspiring even those with two left feet to dance. Bottom line: this album is beyond enjoyable.
While each song on Showbusiness highlights the creativity of the man behind The Captain Franciso, two songs stick on the album above the rest. The second song, God Why Don’t You Listen, has simple yet profound lyrics backed up by a beat that evokes the emotions that the lyrics are meant to convey. I dare anyone to try to find a song that does a better job of pairing a beat and lyrics to describe how humanity has felt over the last two chaotic years.
“Shot in the Heart” stands in stark contrast to “God Why Don’t You Listen?” While the latter is heavy and emotional, “Shot in the Heart” is simply a fun pop song that makes you want to get up and dance. When it hits, you immediately take a step back and ask yourself, “What am I listening to?” The first four songs sound like modern indie music, and then suddenly you’re hit with something that sounds like it came directly from an 80s dance club (in the best way). Despite the song’s uniqueness, The Captain Francisco finds a way to make it fit perfectly. It’s different, yet it still belongs.
The contrast between the two songs is why Showbusiness is described as an album that defies genres. There are songs on the album that are made for dancing and there are songs on the album that encourage you to reflect on life. Some songs could easily be labeled indie rock and some songs would fall under the umbrella of dance music. When you listen, do not get lost trying to figure out what you’re listening to. Just listen and enjoy the music for the piece of art that it is. Just feel what The Captain Francisco is trying to get you to feel in this both fun and emotional record.
The Captain Francisco is Charlie Jones. Jones has played bass in bands for the best part of his life; his resume includes long periods working with Robert Plant (with whom he won a Grammy as co-writer on the Raising Sand track “Please Read The Letter”), Siouxsie (he produced her solo album Mantaray), Goldfrapp (both in the studio and on the road) and most recently, the UK’s greatest rock band The Cult.
