Frencham Smith – Into My Room

Frencham Smith are Fred Smith and Liz Frencham. Smith, from Canberra, is the sardonic and laconic side of the equation; Frencham, from Sydney, is the sensuous, jazz-inflected other side. The two opposites have merged surprisingly well on Into My Room. Frencham is bassist/singer with Sydney folk trio Jigzag and Smith is a singer-songwriter with several albums to his credit, including the impressive Bagarap Empires. Whether it be acoustic ballads or more pop-like tunes, Into My Room is not a bad place to visit.

Into My Room – Frencham Smith
by Ian Dearden

What a project – the wonderfully quirky Canberra songwriter Fred Smith together with the sensuous vocals and jazz-flavoured bass playing of the gorgeous Liz Frencham (Jigzag).
Ten songs from Fred’s pen, written in 2003, recorded in spare arrangements focussed around Fred’s guitar and Liz’s voice, but with sympathetic support from a range of talented guests.
It’s probably unfair to single out particular performances, but I especially enjoyed Barney Wakeford’s delicate piano on “Into My Room” and the interplay of Cameron Burns’ guitar and Rowena Higgs’ cello on “I Will Be Fine”.
Ultimately, this album is about Fred’s songs and his ability to look around himself with insight and sympathy, spinning songs from the fragments of an observant life.
The bittersweet life of a single mother (“Be”), the murder/suicide of a desperate debt-burdened farmer (“Four Strong Hands”), the eternal quest for love (“Find Me A Lover”) and lust (“Sexy Body”) – it’s all grist to the mill of a master songwriter.
I’d invite Liz Frencham and Fred Smith into my room anytime.
You should take them into your room too.
And by the way, did I mention that I’m in love with Liz’s million dollar smile!
You can purchase this album via Fred’s website www.fredsmith.com.au or Liz’s website www.lizfrencham.com.
While you’re there, check out their other projects.

About the artist: “Smith is a superb songwriter. Frencham has a voice with all the appeal, emotional honesty and clarity of someone like Shawn Colvin or Mary Chapin Carpenter. Yes, really, she is that good. There is no other folk duo in Australia which even comes close to this magical combination.” – Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald