I’m not sure how I stumbled across Dori Freeman’s latest release. Facebook marketing maybe? A friend listening on Spotify? An email I accidently clicked on instead of deleting? Whatever the method, I’m grateful that I did, as she has turned out to be one of my favorite discoveries of 2017.
After listening to the first three or four songs on the album I was comparing Freeman to Kelly Willis and harkening back to Willis’ 1999 release What I Deserve. But after those first tracks, Ms. Freeman’s folkier/Appalachian side comes out and her angelic voice shines even greater on tunes such as the acapella “Ern & Zorry’s Sneakin’ Bitin’ Dog,” which was written by her grandfather years ago.
The production is sparse and beautiful and utilizing only needed elements to compliment Freeman’s drawl, and while the originals are all great, one of my favorites is the cover of Richard Thompson’s “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight.†As Freeman sings, you can easily picture a barroom brawl in the tavern of the holler.
RIYL: pretty china, dusty bowls, moonshine
About the author: Producer, Engineer, Musician and all around music enthusiast.