Review | Album review: The Frightnrs’ debut reveals a soulful vocalist taken too soon
Rocksteady revivalists The Frightnrs should be celebrating their Daptone release; instead, it’s a monument to their late singer Dan Klein, who recorded it while dying
Nothing More to Say
Daptone
Bittersweet moments – the fantastic debut from New York four-piece The Frightnrs is jam-packed with them. After the band cut their teeth on the club circuit, the future looked bright for the rocksteady crew and they began recording their debut album for the renowned soul label Daptone Records. But lead singer Dan Klein fell ill during this period and was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Sadly, not long after the album was completed, the young, talented vocalist passed away. He did not get to witness the record’s release. Treading the path that divides ska from reggae, the Queens quartet have created an album of deep sorrowful soul so genuinely vintage, it could have originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. Where there should be hope and excitement from a debut release, there is, of course, a striking note of finality to Nothing More to Say, but The Frightnrs have produced a fitting legacy to a friend and bandmate who had an incredibly soulful voice.
