Ser Franklin’s ‘Ain’t No Other Way’ is an enjoyable offering of soul and funk presented in a fairly fresh manner. The energy of the soundscape and the performance style, vocally, of the leading artist make for a classic and even vintage few minutes of soul-pop. However, something about the musicality of the piece adds a slightly retro, electronic edge that mixes things up a little. The jazz element seems to come from an electronically driven array of instrumentation, though you hardly notice this at first because, as mentioned, the energy of the piece represents the big soul ballad sound really well.

From a songwriting perspective, the track moves from the hypnotic verses to the powerful hook with effective accuracy, in a way that captivates and keeps hold of your attention quite intensely. The music during the chorus section fills the room with this massive sound that adds to the power of the song. In a way, this part takes a little of those unique characteristics out of the mix that the verses draw a more focus towards. The verses allow you to see snippets of the personality of the singer, these moments of individuality shine brightly. But actually, it works well to switch to the bigger chorus moments following this, so you get, essentially, the best of both worlds. A song that is powerful and memorable and enjoyable, accessible to all, and an artist that has something fresh and unexpected and exciting to offer. It’s a strong combination.

The song has moments where it’s reminiscent of certain hits from recent years. On occasion artists within the mainstream industry touch on genres or styles from times gone by and reinvent themselves with these threads. In this case however it feels very genuine, and that makes it all the more enjoyable.

By Rebecca Cullen

Rebecca is a Musician and writer from Manchester, UK, with an MA in Song Writing.

Exclusive Interview: 

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/1G7Lvi9sdn0SBB3tF9kve4

Website https://serfranklin.com/

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

Ser Franklin: I grew up in Italy, was adopted when i was just 10 months, born in Brazil…..the passion for music and singing has always been there, guess it’s one of those things that you’ve got in your blood…it all started with a jazz compilation that i bought without thinking too much of it, just to try…well, Billie Holiday was there, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, i was hooked….not too long after that i discovered soul music, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Donny Hathaway, and a whole new world was opened…

I was impressed by their vocal skills

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

Ser Franklin: nowadays in the digital era independent artists do have tools that artists from the past could have only dreamed of having, so get to know those tools, research them like your life depends on it haha….but before that make sure come up with the best quality of music you possibly can, without that to begin with, all those tools are worth nothing, and also don’t give up on your dreams too soon just because someone has said you should

Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?

Ser Franklin: I just laugh those moments away, they will go away eventually….well, unless someone was recording everything, hehe

Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?

Ser Franklin: i used to when i was in Italy, but I’ve moved to London only a little more than a month ago, just around the same time that my album “Lonely soul” was coming out, so lately I’ve been focused on getting used to a whole different culture, which is something that takes already a lot of your energy away, but i’m slowly but surely stepping foot in the London music scene…i love the music they play here….when it comes to anecdotes to tell, so far my tours all went down pretty smoothly…fingers crossed it’ll stay that way haha

Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?

Ser Franklin: I’ve been in the studio a lot in the last few months, so i’m not thinking of that just yet…i want to focus on writing again now

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

Ser Franklin: I have to say that I had to force myself getting social, i figured it was something i had to do…..i’m kind of enjoying it now, and getting used to it, but i’m a very reserved person by nature, and a little on the shy side too, and shy and social don’t get along too well….but i’m getting better at it….out of all social platforms, i have to say Instagram is my favorite

Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?

Ser Franklin: I would have loved to sing a duet with George Michael, he was one of my idols, and an outstanding vocalist gone too soon….and just like him i am openly gay too, he inspired me in that regard as well, i loved just how free and careless about everyone’s opinion he was, that’s fierce

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

Ser Franklin: I would love my next project to be more acoustic, but i just started writing a few things, “Lonely soul” came out less than a month ago, it’s still Artist: way too soon to think too hard about what’s next

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

Ser Franklin: I don’t even know, probably teaching languages, or Stuart for some airplane company….I don’t really know,i never had a clear second plan

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in the next year or so?

Ser Franklin: definitely live performances are what’s gonna come next, that’s for sure

Exposed Vocals: Any Shout-outs?

Ser Franklin: just the fans….they are listening to my my songs more than i was anticipating, and i am overwhelmed and thankful to each one of them