If Joe Cocker had a little brother who was raised by England Dan and John Ford Coley, and he grew up to be a musician, he might sound something like Donavon Frankenreiter. Part of the Jack Johnson school of guitar-toting pro surfers, Frankenreiter has more of a fondness for things like melody and rhythm than some of his more famous peers (most notably Johnson himself); his last album, 2006’s Move by Yourself, was even something close to muscular in spots – in the context of the genre, anyway. In comparison, Pass It Around is more subdued; Frankenreiter is enough of a craftsman to flesh out his arrangements and make room for something more than his sandy vocals and acoustic guitar, and even if the vibe never wavers from “good ‘n’ mellow,” you at least get the feeling he’s trying to entertain someone other than himself. He doesn’t always succeed, mind you – Frankenreiter is still much more distinctive as a vocalist than a songwriter – but on the surf-rock continuum, Pass It Around is far closer to boss than bammerwee. (Lost Highway 2008)
