Frankie Muriel
If I Say
Frankie Muriel has been through a lot of stages in music and in life. His upcoming album, I’m Still Standing, doesn’t try to hide from that. It leans right on into it.
The record spans ten tracks, including a new version of If I Say, the same song that first put him on the map back in the early ‘90s. At the time, it was his breakthrough, MTV, Billboard charts, sold-out shows. A lot’s happened since then. This new version doesn’t try to replicate the original. It slows things down. There’s weight in the way he sings it now, not nostalgia, exactly, but a bit wiser.
Lyrically, nothing’s changed. But the meaning hits differently now. Lines that once sounded like declarations now feel like quiet recognitions. There’s weight behind them, not because they’re being pushed, but because they’re not. That restraint makes the whole thing land harder.
The record spans ten tracks, including a new version of If I Say, the same song that first put him on the map back in the early ‘90s. At the time, it was his breakthrough, MTV, Billboard charts, sold-out shows. A lot’s happened since then. This new version doesn’t try to replicate the original. It slows things down. There’s weight in the way he sings it now, not nostalgia, exactly, but a bit wiser.
Lyrically, nothing’s changed. But the meaning hits differently now. Lines that once sounded like declarations now feel like quiet recognitions. There’s weight behind them, not because they’re being pushed, but because they’re not. That restraint makes the whole thing land harder.
He’s had a career that’s changed shape a lot. From glam-rock MTV days with KINGOFTHEHILL to decades fronting Dr. Zhivegas, he’s been in and out of spotlights. Now, under his own name, the music feels more personal. Less performance, more reflection.
If I Say isn’t a comeback. It’s not a throwback either. It’s a reminder that songs, like people, can carry new meaning as time moves on. If I Say is out right now so go check it out.
If I Say isn’t a comeback. It’s not a throwback either. It’s a reminder that songs, like people, can carry new meaning as time moves on. If I Say is out right now so go check it out.