Frog and Henry 2019ii

A new release from Frog and Henry feels as real and exciting to me as taking home a fresh pile of 78s.  Started as a string focused ragtime band they have always been open to sweet songs but in 2019 they fully embraced the sound. The earnest vocal delivery and the natural ease of this band are truly unique. There are many individual artists, often uke players enamored with Cliff Edwards, who attempt something similar, but generally speaking the musicians accompanying them can never seem to back it up. However earnest the intent, the result is lampoon. I raved about their England 2019 album back in July and no sooner had it gone to print than they released 2019 ii Led by the pseudonymous F.H. Henry the members of Frog and Henry vary from track to track, yet there remains a consistent sound — everyone seems to understand the project. Frequent collaborators include Robin Rapuzzi, Ewan Bleach, David Neigh, and Maxwell Poulos. Several of the tracks also include Andrew Oliver on piano.  Shaye Cohn, Todd Burdick and Craig Flory of  Tuba Skinny join in on the final cut. Three sessions are shuffled together on this release. Four of ten tracks were recorded in England. Five were taped in  Switzerland, and one in New Orleans. As the musicians are from several countries this shouldn't be surprising. The play is focused around the string band origins of the group. Kermane Arken's