Five soft rock albums that deserve more love

Michael Franks - Time Together

Back in the eighties, when soft rock and adult contemporary became something of alternative terms, Michael Franks and his jazzed-up version of soft rock/pop were all the rage, and Franks was often at the top of, well, adult contemporary charts. But, then, as yuppie became something of a derogatory term and Franks was labeled as the yuppie theme music, he slowly went into shadows, even though he kept on recording to this day.

So what happened to Franks’ music in the meantime? It just remained as silk and jazzy-smooth as it ever was, never losing any of its quality or his signature half-hushed voice, as evidenced on this subtle gem from 2011.

Here Franks presents a sort of a summer travelogue - going from his front porch lawn to New York, French Riviera, Egypt and back throughout with his signature take on Brazilian sounds and subtle rhythms.

As is always the case with Franks’ records, the backing and arrangements are impeccable, touching exactly at that crossing point between pop, soft rock, and jazz he was always so good at. Time Together is a togetherness album at its high point.