Frank Turner, Be More Kind - album review

We knew she had been a big fan and had seen him countless times, even travelling to different cities by herself to see him perform.

The response was unexpected: "I can't be bothered anymore, I feel like I have outgrown him. He is just a whiney...", well, we can't repeat that bit.

Then when the record arrived we realised exactly what she meant. Frank's now 36. And while he has nailed the knack of soft guitar folk verging on acoustic rock, it does almost feel a little basic and juvenile now. Like Andrew W.K. without the mega riffs.

You think he may have developed another strand by now. Perhaps falling well into 'heavy' mode with his clear distaste for much of the modern world.

Frank Turner has become a bit of a musical monolith. He permeates much and carries a legion of adoring fans young and old behind him.

This is his seventh solo record, and yet we are still sat firmly in the realm of 'advert music'. It's like that JCB song by Nizlopi or Peter Bjorn And John's Young Folks. They never venture quite far enough away from the centre of the road to be truly exciting after the first four plays.

Perhaps the perfect example is the slightly naive title track. Yeah, we would all like to Be More Kind and watch the world improve before our very eyes, but it's not quite that simple. While a nice sentiment as guitars softly swoon along with stringed accompaniment, it is a little drab and saccharine in its sentiments.

The Lifeboat, too, is soft folk pop to a tee. Dreamy percussion purrs the track along while Frank almost whispers over the top. But it again just feels safe.

There are some rockier numbers here as well. 1933 has Mr Turner screeching in frustration akin to The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon. His voice has never quite suited the sound however and, again, it all feels a little childlike despite the emotive choruses.

The funk-infused Make America Great Again has caught media attention, and it is one of the better efforts with its snarling interludes. But a lot of this is a tad mundane.

Rating: 6/10

Frank Turner kicks off his Be More Kind world tour to Birmingham Arena on January 22, 2019