Album Review: Frank Bey – Peace

Frank Bey passed away five years ago. Winner of a posthumous Grammy Award nomination (Best Traditional Blues Album) for 2020’s All My Dues Are Paid, Bey was the subject of a loving documentary film of the same name. That film charted Bey’s rise, voluntary departure from the music world, and triumphant resurgence. A new compilation, Peace brings together 11 tracks that showcase the brilliance of the Millen, Georgia native.

The album opens with “That’s What Love Will Make You Do,” a shuffling, funky number with a strong and assertive Bey lead vocal, tight rhythm section and spirited horn section. The soulful “One Thing Every Day” is reminiscent of Rita Coolidge’s classic ‘70s reading of Jackie Wilson’s “Higher and Higher.” Bey’s version underscores the ease with which he could deliver a wide range of styles with total authenticity.

“Midnight and Day” is smoky, down and dirty blues, with the musicians digging deep into the pocket; its spare arrangement places the spotlight on Bey’s vocals. The contemplative acoustic textures – one guitar and a harmonica solo – of “City Boy” couch Bey’s heartfelt vocal in just the right context.

The uptempo Chicago-flavored “Blues Comes Knockin’” delivers the sound and feel of a live performance. The well-worn melody is applied to a sassy lyric, and Bey communicates it in style. The tune’s harp solo is a delight. There’s a subtly New Orleans character to the jaunty “Walk With Me.”

Guitarist Jeff Monjack – who’s all over the album – provides steel guitar and insistent foot stomping on “Bed for My Soul”; thanks to his work and Bey’s assured vocal, the tune feels like a superbly-recorded busking performance. A testament to Bey’s versatility and textural range, “If You Want Me” sounds like a showcase for a different – yet very good – singer.

The loose, live-feeling “Blues in the Pocket” is Frank Bey at his funkiest. Featuring an extended spoken (shouted, really) intro, the song shows that Bey learned a few tricks from his former musical associate James Brown. The song’s sly and humorous lyrics are punctuated by tasty sax flourishes.

A reverent and sincere reading of Sam Cooke’s “Change is Gonna Come” reminds listeners yet again just how easily Bey could switch from blues to another style (in this case, gospel). The collection concludes with a meditative and original reading of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” In Bey’s capable hands, the song receives a completely new melody, but the sentiments of the original shine through.

Peace is drawn from various sessions, but the high production values and top-flight musicianship belie its compiled nature; the collection feels like a cohesive set of songs put together with an album in mind. If – as seems likely – it represents the last musical statement from the late singer – Peace represents a fine farewell.