Early Saturday Morning
FRANK FRIEND
(MySpace.com/FrankFriend)
Electronic artist/MC Frank Friend's current home is Winter Park, but his shadow looms large in Bradenton, where he was raised and regularly plays solo or with his band Daylight District on bills with his boys from The Chase Theory/Have Gun, Will Travel. In fact, Friend covers Chase Theory's "The Longer Mile" on his new album, Early Saturday Morning. The emo ballad gets recast as a Brian Eno-esque trance piece. Friend, who raps more than he sings, doesn't quite have the range for the high notes, but his impassioned reading works against the engaging backdrop. The rest of the disc consists of hip-hop originals with a sense of humor, as well as the album-closing hometown homage "Bradenton Zoo." 3 stars
This article appears in Oct 17-23, 2007.