Monsieur Frankenreiter, in a former life, toured Surfing's Pro-Circuit enjoying the good things the sport had to offer before giving it away for an even more relaxing retirement. Of course being a dab hand with an acoustic guitar while sitting around night time beach fires happened to prick the ears of someone in the music industry and before you can say "Recording Contract", his debut album is now on the shelves.

Please stop me when this sounds at all familiar.

Whilst Frankenreiter's story ever so slightly resembles that of surfer turned musician Jack Johnson's (Johnson produced the album and guests on 'Free'), his music contains more of a light-hearted breezy feel to it compared to Johnson's ever increasing sobering subject matter. Pitching himself as a Jimmy Buffett for the 21st century (check out the 70s 'tache he sports), Frankenreiter is a crowd pleaser with some toe-tapping ditties like the aforementioned 'Free' and country-tinged tracks such as 'Heading Home'.

Keeping him company in the recording shack in Hawaii is a fairly decent group of musicians, no doubt on reduced pay in exchange for excellent work conditions. Apart from Johnson the band includes former Ben Harper drummer Dean Butterworth, Eels' keyboardist Kool G. Murder and roots prince G. Love. Fellow surfer Rob Machado also lends his guitar handiwork.

With 'breezy' being the operative word, Frankenreiter's style is so laid back it makes the old Dean Martin Show look like it was run by bureaucratic despots. In fact it is all done so simply that while you are enjoying 'On My Mind', the first of many songs dedicated to his loved one (no doubt while you are romancing your loved one), Frankenreiter has nicked off with a famous Marvin Gaye line and your none the wiser. The cheeky bastard!

Cynics will point out that the album contains little to no substance and in a way they're right. Apart from stating how much of a devoted husband and father he is (check out the sweet 'Call Me Papa'), Frankenreiter isn't going to change the way you feel about 'free trade issues' or 'AIDS in Africa'. But from time to time all we yearn for is a set of carefree songs to pass the afternoon away. This album does just that.