By now, the wildly popular Keith Frank can do practically anything and still be worshipped by his adoring fans. So umpteen CDs later, the ruling Frank can take chances by debuting his home Soulwood Studio and boldly engineering the whole ball of wax. Yet ready or not, like it or not, the Soulwood sound pales in comparison to the previous Frank outings that featured the constant in-your-face bass, kick drums and jangly guitar rhythms.

But if you can just pretend the bass and drums are where you want it, there’s actually good stuff between the cracks. “Soulwood Train” swings madly; and “Buck Bayou” and “What’s My Extension” still maintain the same pile-driving intensity Frank’s known for. “You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down” creatively begins as a come-to-Jesus Pentecostal service, then later lists a litany of critters, short of roadkill, that would make for fine culinary experiences. The doo-wop “Back to the ’50s” medley works surprisingly well while the title song emits a sophisticated soul-jazz feel about it.

Then there are times when the mix could use a little more polish aside from aforementioned observations. Sister Jen’s voice is way too prominent on the Katrina and the Waves’ “Walking on Sunshine” with those wailing “wells” just about blow you out of your seat. A few pop-styled oohs and ahs here wouldn’t hurt either. The John Delafose-popularized “I Done Got Over It” is decent but Frank’s voice here sounds a little too raspy. Ready or not, this one wasn’t quite ready. But almost.