Frank Christian - From My Hands (1995)

When Frank Christian's song "Three Flights Up" appeared on Nanci Griffith's classic 1992 album Other Voices Other Rooms, most of the mass record-buying public was exposed to Christian's work for the first time. A legend among legends in folk circles, Christian has lent his songs and masterful guitar playing to albums by several bigger-name artists, but only sporadically records under his own name. From My Hands represents his best and most consistent work. Kicking off the album with his own version of "Three Flights Up," Christian, as is so often the case when songwriters are given a long-awaited chance to perform their own material, lends the song an emotional depth that others, including Nanci Griffith, frankly just aren't capable of matching. Not content to rest on his writing laurels, however, Christian devises guitar parts that are musical statements unto themselves, weaving in and out of the vocals and heightening the lyrics' emotional impact. The accompanying players, particularly bassist Peter Herbert and drummer/percussionist Jeff Berman, do a fine job of providing interesting support for Christian's subtle, often quirky material.