Ad Frank And The Easy Women

In Girl Trouble
by Kirsten Powers

Having just finished listening to Ad Frank’s new CD, In Girl Trouble, I can say that the album is certainly catchy. It is upbeat and poppy like Austin Powers or ’70s David Bowie. Four out of the 13 songs are hummable enough that I find myself singing along before the song’s end.

In Girl Trouble sounds a lot like the Fountains of Wayne’s album, Welcome Interstate Managers. He has a melodic voice without being annoying or whiny. The back-up singers are good and the musical arrangements are tight. “Dumb Trilemma” (which I aptly called “Standing in the Bathroom, and I Can’t Remember Which Doorway Is Hers”) feels a lot like “Stacy’s Mom”: It’s a silly song about being somewhere that is both ironic and difficult at the same. In fact, a lot of the album is like that. It’s very well-arranged and funny, but all about relationship difficulties, emotional and sexual frustration, and girls. Ok, so Ad Frank makes everything he sings about funny, even when he talks about being mugged. However, after the fifth song, I found myself wanting some other subject matter. I was tired of hearing about relationship problems, women who mistreat men, and how annoying life is. Ad Frank is very listener friendly, just don’t look for deeper meaning in his songs.