The Music in My Head

The Music in My Head is a smooth jazz album released by Michael Franks in 2018. It’s his eighteenth studio album, and the second with the independent Shanachie Records.

Background
The Music in My Head is Franks’ first album after a seven-year hiatus. Franks explained to Parade magazine the album was "written about my own personal spiritual journey" and "[it's] about love, our connection to nature, and the beauty and mystery of it all.”

The album features one of the last recorded guitar solos by Chuck Loeb before his death.

Reception
Writing for Smooth-Jazz.de, Hans-Bernd Hülsmann praised the album for "offer[ing] great musical and literary preciousness with charm and elegance. The album contains a marked variety of audible values that demand attention and time from the listener to experience and enjoy all facets."

Justin Kantor highly recommended the album for SoulTracks, saying the album "displays as aptly as ever his ability to convey a breadth of topics in a seamless manner that feels like a choice road trip set to the most mellow—yet colorful—of soundscapes."

On the song "Waterfall", Laura B. Whitmore wrote for Parade that "[it's] a whispery tale of the journey from raindrop to waterfall. With a lilting rhythm, clever lyrics and some melodic guitar and vibes, “Waterfall” is like a sonic sigh of satisfaction."

Personnel

 * Michael Franks – vocals
 * Eric Marienthal – saxophone
 * Gary Meek – saxophone
 * Bob Mintzer – saxophone
 * Karel Ruzicka – saxophone
 * Charles Blenzig – piano
 * Gil Goldstein – piano
 * Otmaro Ruíz – electric piano (Fender Rhodes), organ (Wurlitzer), synthesizer
 * Rachel Z – piano, keyboards
 * Larry Koonse – guitar
 * David Spinozza – guitar
 * Chuck Loeb – guitar, keyboards
 * Romero Lubambo – rhythm guitar
 * Jay Anderson – double bass
 * Sean Conly – double bass
 * Jimmy Haslip – bass, synthesizer
 * Scott Petito – bass
 * Billy Kilson – drums
 * Jimmy Branley – drums, percussion
 * Rogerio Boccato – percussion
 * Manuel Quintana – percussion
 * Veronica Nunn – backing vocals
 * Leslie Ritter – backing vocals