New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Frank Shiner official website) In a world where vocal histrionics often take over in place of style and heart, Frank Shiner is that rare performer whose delivery evokes a certain classiness associated with Frank Sinatra. But Shiner is lyrically rooted in the generation that belongs to Paul Simon, Tom Waits, Van Morrison, and Randy Newman, just a few of the composers whose work is showcased on Shiner's soon to be released debut album produced by Gary Katz, and Shiner's debut single, Driving Home For Christmas.
Driving Home For Christmas, is a durable holiday evergreen from the pen of none other than Chris Rea, the eclectic jazz and blues-influenced British singer-songwriter. The song choice is given an added measure of mood indigo via Katz's deft studio mastery. Shiner is donating all proceeds from iTunes and Amazon sales of the single through Christmas Day 2013, to his late father's favorite charity, St. Jude Children's Hospital.
Gary Katz's track record includes the classic series of albums by Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, landmark albums from Harry Connick Jr. (Only You),
Laura Nyro, Joe Cocker,
Peter Tosh, and others.
Driving Home for Christmas Shiner's debut release is the fulfillment of a long-time goal of an artist who put his artistic ambitions on hold to provide for his family. He is only stepping forward now to continue his singing and acting career.
Shiner's creative story got off to a promising start when he came to New York City after college and immediately started to land roles on television and on the stage. His discipline as a trained actor earned him SAG, AFTRA and Actors' Equity credentials. He played more than fifty theatre and television roles including one musical. He also spent six years as a member of Quinapalus, the small traditional Shakespeare theatre company.
The arc of Shiner's musical artistry swings in that special place where his lifetime of experiences in singing and acting are able to breathe together and tell a story. "As a student of Shakespeare," Shiner explains, "as a student of language, the song is a play, and the lyric is the most important thing to me. If a pretty sound comes out after that or along with that, it's a bonus, never the goal."
Shiner collaborated closely with Katz on a plan to record the singer's debut album. They chose "new standards" written by some of the most successful composers of the last half-century. "The idea," Frank says, "was to combine the attitude and musical values of the music that inspired me -- the era of Sinatra and
Darin -- with a more contemporary body of material." With that goal in mind, A&R veteran Mitchell Cohen (Columbia, Arista and
Verve Records) was brought in to work with Shiner and Katz in coming up with the right repertoire. The debut album will be released in March 2014.
