On “One More Time,” Frank Hannon channels the quiet grief of the American West
23 July 2025
Newsdesk
Frank Hannon’s new single “One More Time” feels like dusk settling over a long road. There’s a weariness to it, but also grace—a sense that beauty can still rise from ache if you leave enough space to feel it. The track arrives ahead of Reflections, his upcoming solo album, and together they mark a striking left turn from his years as lead guitarist for TESLA.
Rooted in bluesy slide guitar and shaded with melodic fingerprints left by Dickey Betts (Hannon’s father-in-law and mentor), “One More Time” is warm and understated. There’s no vocal, but it speaks anyway. Hannon’s phrasing is conversational, as if recalling stories without needing to explain them. You can hear the years of listening—on the road, at Betts’ side, through hospital rooms and hurricane evacuations.
There’s also an intentional simplicity here. Recorded entirely on his cell phone using a wireless Audigo mic, the track resists overproduction. It’s built like a folk song: just the player, the strings, and the truth. And that honesty shows up in the details—the handslides, the slightly uneven tempo, the way certain phrases linger longer than they’re supposed to. Nothing feels forced.
What stands out most is how lived-in it sounds. The Gibson SG Hannon plays in the video once belonged to Betts, and it sings like an heirloom. There’s something deeply familial in the way he holds it—not just a nod to lineage, but to lessons learned quietly over time.
The full album, Reflections, is due September 12. While it’s a solo instrumental record, it doesn’t feel solitary. It’s a collection of moments, some joyful, some steeped in grief. Hannon began writing it in the attic of his California home after returning from a three-year journey that involved caring for Betts, surviving back-to-back hurricanes, and saying goodbye to a horse who had become part of the family.
For fans of roots music, Reflections will likely resonate as a meditative journey—not of reinvention, but of return. Hannon isn’t trying to outrun the past. He’s settling into it, seeing what still echoes, and letting his guitar do the remembering.
