Skip to main content

Grace Freeman - Shadow (2017)



OFFICIAL: http://www.gracefreeman.net/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/gracefreemanmusic/

Written by Larry Robertson, posted by blog admin

Nineteen Grace Freeman isn’t a newcomer to the music world, but her first solo album Shadow represents the fullest invocation of her talents free from and unfettered by any outside songwriting contributions. The eleven songs included in the release are entertaining musical excursions guided by a supremely talented singer, but they likewise play as intensely personal statements that, nonetheless, remain accessible to her intended audience all the while. It largely embraces the acoustic guitar as the primary instrument, but Freeman isn’t afraid to incorporate other instruments into her sonic palette and it results in Shadow coming off as a delicious versatile collection that never lacks for eloquence or entertainment value. The production is remarkably sympathetic to her aims and stages her compositions in the best possible methods with an ear always tuned to making a balanced presentation. This is one of the most notable solo debuts of 2017.

“Oliver” begins Shadow on a brooding note, but the sensitivity of Freeman’s voice redeems every shadow and nicely wraps around the acoustic guitar powering the song. It’s melodic to a lyrical degree and practically acts as a second voice complementing Freeman’s ethereal singing. The title song comes next and as a still, almost crystalline beauty competing with more forceful sections where drumming comes into play for the first time on the album and gives some much needed heft to the combination of Freeman’s voice and piano. Her singing is much more forceful here and does an excellent job conveying hidden strengths in order to match the weight of the drumming and light orchestration around her. “Trying to Say Goodbye” has a jaunty pop vibe that sounds almost Beatle-esque and certainly contains some of Regina Spektor’s influence. Freeman’s personality fills the track, however, giving deadly serious matters of the heart a playful veneer they would otherwise lack.

“Blue Eyed Boy” has more of a folk song vibe, no doubt strengthened by the guiding presence of mandolin propelling the song forward musically, and the tenderly wrought vocal from Freeman balances out nicely against it. Her lyrical acumen is high; there isn’t a song on Shadow that feels like it has placeholder lyrics and “Blue-Eyed Boy” ranks among the album’s finest moments in this area. “Autumn” is another memorable musical and lyrical achievement benefitting from a particularly sensitive Freeman singing performance and “Muddy Puddles” scores high in both areas as well. The latter track, however, shows Freeman’s considerable gifts for imbuing her songwriting with distinctly literary qualities that few of her songwriting contemporaries can match. There are elements of folk music coming through on “Mountain’s Peak”, but it rests much more comfortably in the singer/songwriter camp and elicits one of Freeman’s finest lyrics and vocal performances. The lyrical content, especially, deserves mention thanks to its deft mix of specific detail and the direct way it conveys emotion. Grace Freeman’s Shadow doesn’t fall under one particular label and it’s a better album for it. There’s something here for everyone who enjoys artful songwriting.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Yam Haus - Stargazer (2018)

OFFICIAL : http://www.yamhaus.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www. facebook.com/yamhaus TWITTER: https://twitter.com/YAMHAUSBand Written by Raymond Burris, posted by blog admin Yam Haus’ debut album Stargazer begins in rousing fashion. The title song opens the album with a short flurry of synthesizer sounds before shifting into stomping guitar and drum driven verses. The slashing guitar work gives the song a great deal of bounce while the drumming contrasts that with straight forward power and Lars Pruitt’s smooth, gliding vocal tone provides the finishing touch for the track. The lyrics don’t remake the wheel or aspire to poetic excellence, but they are a cut above typical fare in this style. “West Coast” has a much more retro slant than the title song, definitely recalling the 1980’s moreso than recent history, but it never looks back to that music too reverentially. The production distinguishes this song, like it does the album across the board, and has a physically engag...
Post a Comment
Read more

Joshua Ketchmark - Under Plastic Stars (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.joshuaketchmark.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/josh.ketchmark Written by Jay Snyder, posted by blog admin From the opening, gentle strum the heart-warming, tumbleweed kicking love song, “We Were Everything” and culminating in the rhythmically pulsating, winding electric guitar leads and spitfire soul vocals of closer “The Great Unknown,” it’s clear that Joshua Ketchmark has arrived.   Hailing from his humble beginnings in Peoria, Illinois and eventually carving a path to every big-time music city in the USA (LA just to name one of many places), Ketchmark is now twelve releases strong in a music career that spans too many genres to count.   Though he primarily operates in old school folk, country, pop and r & b, he also branches out into rock, blues and delicate balladry whenever the mood strikes him.    After the fiery lead-in of “We Were Everything,” Joshua switches into ballad mode with quiet acoustic guitar, d...
Post a Comment
Read more

Black Note Graffiti - Volume II: Without Nothing I'm You (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://blacknotegraffiti.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BlackNoteGraffiti TWITTER: https://twitter.com/blacknotegraffi Written by Raymond Burris, posted by blog admin The second full length release from Ann Arbor’s Black Note Graffiti, Volume 2: Without Nothing I’m You, is an eleven song collection that positions this (then) four piece to rise several more notches in the world of indie rock. The band, furthermore, crackles with the potential to take their act far outside the warm but relatively narrow confines of the indie scene. Rock and its musical progeny may swim upstream commercially in our modern music world, but what that means is that the limited room for viable acts culls the fat off the genre and those who boast marquee status truly deserve it. The band’s talents are considerable – musically, vocally, and lyrically. The growth they’ve exhibited since their 2013 debut is surely the result of the inherent talent they’re dealing with, but it...
Post a Comment
Read more