This month, we’re delving into ‘Can’t Stop The Rain’ from Neal Francis’s 2021 album In Plain Sight. I really love this song, as it has a timeless sound that is just as at home in 2025 as it was in 1975. Leaning into funk, soul, and rock, it’s chock-full of electric pianos, funky guitars, warm bass, and horns.
An interesting fact about the album – it was written and recorded almost entirely in a church where Neal was living at the time, after a relationship break-up. Having struggled with sobriety, he was in the process of owning up to his issues and trying to work on them, instead of feeling like he had to hide everything. I definitely resonate with that, as for a long time I’ve felt a lot of shame about my feelings and always thought I had to push them away. The underlying issue was that I didn’t know how to accept the feelings I didn’t want. I now know that leaning into them is the only way for them to dissipate.
This is another song that is not complicated in terms of chords, using only 4 chords throughout the entire song. To start, we get piano, accented by some kind of organ or electric piano. The beauty of the piano in this instance is taking two chords in the verse and creating a funky riff. A few bars in, and the slide guitar shows up. This is Derek Trucks, a well-known and incredible blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. The groove is good, and it feels uplifting. The drums don’t cut through a lot, which feels like it’s in keeping with the 70s vibe, and there’s definitely a tambourine in there.
The vocal in the verse feels quite laid back, but in the pre-chorus, the music drops back a bit, and you can hear the piano more clearly. When the chorus comes in, it’s with a punch.
And you can’t stop the rain
It’s always coming down
It’s always gonna fall
But you’re not gonna drown
Quite a simple lyric, making it quite a catchy chorus. The words “down” and “drown” are held, which gives your ear a chance to catch up on the words. Think about how much less impact it would have if they were cut short?
There are quite a few instrumental breaks in this song, before the second verse and after the second chorus. This allows the guitar to build up, and I can hear an acoustic guitar panned to the left. There are also some really nice moments where the piano comes through before the final chorus. It gets quite intense at the end – in a good way!
I can also hear some backing vocal lines buried in the mix. The backing vocals are more clear in the live version, which has horns and an 11-piece band. Neal seems to be enjoying himself so much – and his outfit is divine. That kind of band setup is the stuff of dreams.
My takeaways from this song are:
- Simple chord progression
- Good, solid piano riff
- Amazing players
- Space for the music to shine
- Catchy chorus