Bakers Pink

Baker's Pink: Michael Anthony Franano (vocals); Mike Greene (guitar); Bobby Franano (keyboards); Randy Jordan (bass); Shane Miller (drums).
Additional personnel: Doug Gordon (guitar); Mark Eddinger (keyboards); Gary Corbett (Fender Rhodes electric piano); Brad Hauser (acoustic bass); Matt Chamberlain (drums); Tova, Tom Toons, Wrecia Ford (background vocals).
Producers: Mark Dodson, Michael Anthony Franano, Mark Eddinger.
Engineers: Mark Dodson, Shannon Carr, Danny Wojnar, Guido Toledo.
Recorded at Electric Lady Studios and Hit Factory Studios, New York.
Featuring former members of The Front, BAKER'S PINK has a hard rock sound that leaps right out of the speakers with a tough metallic edge that recalls Zeppelin, the Stones and the rough and ready boys of glam rock. Like the latter, their songs trip right over the precipice with tales of the double-edged allure of pleasure and danger, from the nastiness of "Euphoria" to the resignation of "Untouched." But for all their crushing riffs and world weary howls, the perspective of a bluesy ballad like "Lonely, Lonely, Lonely" hints at the hope amidst the darkness of their songs.
Personnel: Michael Anthony Franano (vocals); Doug Gordon, Mike Greene (guitar); Gary Corbett (Fender Rhodes piano, synthesizer); Bobby Franano, Gary Corbert, Mark Eddinger (keyboards); Randy Jordan (bass guitar); Matt Chamberlain, Shane (drums); Tova, Wrecia Ford, Tom Toons (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Shannon Carr; Michael Anthony Franano; Dann Wojnar; Mark Eddinger; Mark Dodson; Ron Saint Germain; Brian Malouf.
Recording information: Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY; Hit Factory Studios, New York, NY; Hit Factory Studios, NY; Wheeler Audio, Kansas City, MO.
Photographer: Michael Halsband.
Arranger: Mark Eddinger.
Named after a shade of pink that was once used in asylums until it was discovered that it aggravated the patients' mental illnesses, Bakers Pink's one and only major-label album is a textbook example of the kind of rock music that labels were banking on before grunge came along. Offering hooks that revolved around wah-heavy funk guitar and groovy beats, the band fit nicely into the alternative metal scene that was quietly forming in the wake of Jane's Addiction. Bakers Pink's biggest drawback is how derivative the band sounded, rarely coming off as original. This is most apparent on its hard rock tracks, which alternate between funky rave-ups à la Mother Love Bone or spiritually motivated metal straight out of the Cult's songbook. Luckily, the band has a penchant for hypnotic and slightly psychedelic slow songs, resulting in some excellent mid-tempo material. "Untouched" shuffles along with a gently strummed guitar and eventually turns into a rootsy jam, while "Lonely, Lonely, Lonely" is a soulful stab at Drifters-style R&B. They tend to focus on this aspect of their sound a third of the time, inviting the listener to wonder what they might have made of themselves with a few albums to work with. But as it stands, this debut is typical of the era, offering a mixed bag of forgettable rockers and interesting psychedelic rock that never quite gels despite some really great songs strewn throughout. ~ Bradley Torreano