by Kris Handel
Leaving is the second full length release from Midwest indie folk band Fran (aka Maria Jacobson), continuing on the path of heartbreaking longing and beautiful melodies powered by her stunning vocals. Jacobson's ability to weave entrancing tales is jaw-dropping, reinforced by the very compelling material throughout the album. Leaving will have the listener melting with all sorts of feelings and emotions. This record traverses moments of burning power and strength to an almost heavenly beauty on almost every level. As strong as the songwriting is, the accompaniment is flowing and equally powerful. Jacobson's vocals are almost as smooth as velvet and the range she is able to express with ease and clarity envelops every moment and amplifies the power these songs so clearly possess.
Jacobson shows herself to be quite adept at communicating heartbreak or the blossoming of promising romance in a manner that is disarming and intimate, exemplified in songs like "So Long" and "Leaving". The latter lives in a space of longing as her vocals hammer home the lingering sense of despair and regret while woodwinds solemnly reinforce the slow and tender accompaniment. Jacobson uses her slippery vocal techniques to great effect, varying methods of expression that heighten every lingering syllable she painfully expresses. The former shows off the power that her vocals so readily exhibit as they quake with both vulnerability and the ability to roll with the punches that life and relationships routinely throw at oneself.
On songs like "Palm Trees," Fran comes off with a level of calm and the expertise of a songwriter like Aimee Mann, remarkable for such a relatively new voice. The song shows off Jacobson's ability to connect on a massively impactful level with her audience. Fran show themselves quite accomplished at delivering clever and remarkably confident sentiments in a compelling and intriguing form. "Winter" strikes the balance of hurt and resiliency that this record has in abundance, unraveling itself in a way that is stunning in its forthrightness and ability to embrace whatever is in front of it. Jacobson expresses intense feeling on full display and the connection it elicits from the listener is something that refuses to be overlooked.
Leaving is a living, breathing, document of a moment in life with all its ebb and flows, managing to remain universal in the best way possible. The album shows another aspect of the growing appeal so inherent in the craft of every Fran recording. Jacobson's ability to maintain a remarkable intimacy in her art yet craft something so widely appealing through its beauty and scope is beyond commendable. Leaving manages to border on a sense of cool reflection and moments that resonate alternately with pain and a joy that just bursts through the speakers, playing off itself in a way that is striking and beautiful. Jacobson shows herself to be an artist capable of showing great depth and care in their art while still maintaining the ability to devastate the audience, showing a depth and sense of care that truly deserves a deeper level of commitment.