(Self-released, digital)
Singer-songwriter and jazz guitarist Lewis Franco’s catalog has a timeless quality to it, moving effortlessly through eras of the genre. His latest LP, Open Field, is no exception, with 12 tracks that jump and jive right out of the speakers.
Produced by another of Vermont’s most talented musicians and songwriters, Colin McCaffrey, Open Field is the kind of record that will send you walking into a gin joint with a swagger. This is not jazz that you quietly bop to; Franco’s music has a kinetic power. Even when he leans into down-tempo numbers, as on the soulful “Find Another Way,” there’s an element of playfulness in Franco’s vocals as he rings star-bright notes from his guitar.
The Missing Cats, his longtime backing band, are all over the album, as are some special guests and friends, such as singer-songwriter and fiddler Susannah Blachly and members of Vermont bands Heavy Nettles and Jaded Ravins.
Open Field puts Franco’s melodic and endlessly classy tunes front and center and allows his guitar chops to shine. Though the songs range in subject matter from free will and God to politics and memory, a welcome breeziness runs through the record. Even “The Thought Never Entered Your Mind,” about a romantic partner forgetting an anniversary, has an undercurrent of humor and lightness.
Franco continues to deliver sonically lush and thematically rich songs. Open Field is both a throwback to the sounds of the past and a timely reminder of just how good those sounds can be.
Open Field is available on major streaming services.
This article appears in July 22 • 2026.
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