"His long-awaited sophomore album, In Plain Sight, proves to be one of the year’s best releases, with the singer/songwriter’s unique musical genre-blend inarguably addictive."
– SPIN
“What do Dr. John, Leon Russell, and boogie-woogie piano have in common?
Neal Francis is the answer.”
– KCRW
Chicago-based singer-songwriter-pianist Neal Francis has shared his new video for the song “Problems,” the latest single from his new album, In Plain Sight (ATO). In Plain Sight is Francis' second album and it was mixed by GRAMMY® Award winner Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, MGMT). The hilarious and raucous clip, directed by Alec Basse and Max Moore, finds Francis singing on a microphone dropped down from the ceiling in a doctor's office waiting room. As the walls close in on the disparate cast of characters, the dance party ensues.
"To us, the song is about indecision and choosing or not choosing paths in life based on various levels of apprehension," says video directors Alec Basse and Max Moore. "Naturally, this inaction leads to unforeseen consequences. To visualize this, we aimed to squish Neal between the walls of time and, while he messed about singing and dancing, his world becomes smaller and smaller. Eventually, life chooses your path for you. We also wanted to match Neal’s love for tried and true analog creation and shot the video on a late 60s 16mm Eclair NPR. There is no beating film."
WATCH "PROBLEMS" OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
Besides "Problems," In Plain Sight also includes the recently released singles, “Prometheus,” “Alameda Apartments,” and “Can’t Stop The Rain,” all available now at all DSPs and streaming services. “Prometheus” is joined by an official visualizer, while “Alameda Apartments” arrived last month alongside an official companion video – filmed on VHS in the church where Francis lived, wrote, and recorded In Plain Sight – streaming now via YouTube; a stirring live performance of the track – filmed at SHIRK Studios in Chicago, IL with backing from Francis’s crack touring band – is also streaming now via YouTube.
WATCH “PROMETHEUS (OFFICIAL VISUALIZER)”
WATCH “ALAMEDA APARTMENTS (OFFICIAL VHS VIDEO)”
WATCH “ALAMEDA APARTMENTS [LIVE]”
In Plain Sight was first heralded this summer with the lead single, “Can’t Stop The Rain,” featuring GRAMMY® Award-winning guitarist Derek Trucks and hailed in its world premiere on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic as “an invigorating heatwave banger… hits with an unapologetically joyful, electric feel that makes for just the jolt to the system we needed.” The track – which quickly ascended to #1 Most Added at Triple-A and Non-Commercial Radio outlets nationwide – is joined by an official music video, streaming now at YouTube; an electrifying live version, filmed at Chicago’s SHIRK Studios and showcasing Francis and his band’s infectious on-stage energy, can be viewed now as well.
WATCH “CAN’T STOP THE RAIN (OFFICIAL VIDEO)”
WATCH “CAN’T STOP THE RAIN (OFFICIAL LIVE SESSION)”
Francis continues to celebrate In Plain Sight with a truly epic North American tour highlighted by headline dates (including an exclusive Album Release Party, set for November 5 at Rosa’s Lounge in Chicago), shows supporting My Morning Jacket, and more festival appearances including Wilco’s sold-out Sky Blue Sky, a curated concert vacation set for January 17-21, 2022 at Mexico’s Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya. From there, Francis will cross the Atlantic for a much anticipated European/UK tour, making stops in London, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Belgium in early 2022. Additional dates will be announced. For complete details and ticket availability, please visit www.nealfrancis.com/tour.
NEAL FRANCIS
ON TOUR 2021-2022
NOVEMBER 2021
18 – St. Louis, MO – Old Rock House
19 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall
20 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi
DECEMBER 2021
3 – Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
4 – Columbia, MO – Rose Music Hall
5 – Oklahoma City, OK - Ponyboy
8 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub
9 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub
10 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater
11 – Tyler, TX – Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue
12 – Dallas TX – The Kessler Theater
29 – Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom **
31 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
JANUARY 2022
5 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
8 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
9 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
12 – Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
13 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
14 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
17-21 – Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky – Puerto Aventuras, MX † (SOLD OUT)
22 – Glasgow, UK – Celtic Connections
23 – London, UK – O2 Academy2 Islington
25 – Nijmegen, NL – Merleyn
26 – Groningen, NL – Vera
27 – Amsterdam, NL – Bitterzoet
28 – Hengelo, NL – Metropool
29 – Utrecht, NL – TivoliVredenburg
30 – Rotterdam, NL – Bird
31 – Haldern, DE – Haldern Pop Bar
FEBRUARY 2022
1 – Berlin, DE – Privatclub
2 – Hamburg, DE – Häkken
4 – Paris, FR – New Morning
5 – Beauvais, FR – L’Ouvre Boite
6 – Leffinge, BE – De Zwerver
16 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
17 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
18 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live
19 – Washington, DC – Union Stage
20 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café
22 – Richmond, VA – Canal Club
23 – Charlotte, NC – Visulite Theatre
24 – Chattanooga, TN – Songbirds
25 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East
26 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
JULY 2022
27 – 31 – Floyd, VA – Floyd Fest
AUGUST 2022
26-28 – Tisbury, MA – Beach Road Weekend †
* In Plain Sight Album Release Party
** w/My Morning Jacket
† Festival Appearance
Additional Dates To Be Announced
# # #
Neal Francis has been making music at the piano since the age of four, naming everything from ragtime and gospel soul to The Who and Led Zeppelin among his formative influences. The prodigiously gifted young musician began sitting in with countless Chicago blues acts as a teenager, helming the popular instrumental funk band The Heard before finally going setting out on his own solo career. Released in 2019, Changes swiftly drew lavish acclaim – including a glowing review from music industry icon Bob Lefsetz, who declared, “THIS IS THE FUTURE OF THE MUSIC BUSINESS!” – and soon led to such triumphs as a killer KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic session, sharing the stage with members of The Meters at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and tours alongside such like-minded acts as Lee Fields & The Expressions and Black Pumas. More recently, Francis lit up Lollapalooza 2021 with a hometown performance applauded by the Chicago Sun-Times as “a time-stamped treasure… there are hints of ‘70s Brit Rock (including a very visceral touch of Elton John) as well as New Orleans jazz-funk, gospel soul, and some lighthearted Randy Newman.”
# # #
Neal Francis
IN PLAIN SIGHT
(ATO Records)
Release Date: November 5, 2021
