The album was the brainchild of Rip Rense, a friend of Zappa, as a tribute to the late composer.

Rense executive produced and worked with lead singer/arranger Jerry Lawson on selecting the tracks and guest artists, who included Zappa alums Bruce Fowler, Robert Martin, Mike Keneally.

Gary Mankin and Lawson co-produced the music, and Gail Zappa had final approval of the project.

Billboard reviewed the album positively, describing it as "a work of absurdist inspiration" and "a novel reworking of a true original".

[4] François Couture writing on AllMusic gave the recording a rating of 3/5, mentioning that "vocal group fans may feel a bit disoriented by this unlikely repertoire and the hermetic references, but Zappa aficionados [...] will find Frankly a Cappella to be an entertaining work of love.