Reverend Freakchild – Bare Bones
Treated and Released Records – 2024
9 tracks; 38 minutes 9 seconds.
On his latest releases, Bare Bones (2024), Reverend Freakchild offers dazzling storytelling, capable guitarwork, and a spiritually influenced version of the blues. Bare Bones is a stripped down, solo acoustic guitar version of Freakchild’s 2023 album, Songs of Beauty for Ashes of Realization, which in turn was a full band re-invigoration of 9 earlier Freakchild original songs.
The more recent album, his 18th, comes across as less experimental, and more raw. It was recorded live and with no edits at the Chatanooga Public Library Studios. The liner notes describe it “as close as possible to a musical stream of consciousness.” Freakchild holds multiple divinity degrees and the spiritual influence is apparent.
Freakchild opens up “Dial it In” with a tasty, rockin’ acoustic guitar intro, using the full guitar. The skillful troubadour’s influence is apparent early on in the strong lyrics. Freakchild sounds like a mix between Bob Dylan and G Love and Special Sauce as he sings about the “crossroads of my mind as the highway hums with the rhythm of time.” The guitar establishes a groovin’ tune, as Freakchild croons that the “darkest hour (comes) right before the light.” The guitar playing is uptempo, rhythmic, and positive.
“Hippy Bluesman Blues” kicks off with a slow blues shuffle before Freakchild, in a particularly deep and growling voice sings about losing his possessions, a “hippie cul-de-sac”, a mojo hand, and Muddy Waters.
The album drifts between country, singer-songwriter, and blues. That said, blues is Freakchild’s dominant influence, and it permeates the album.
On “Amsterdam Blues”, one of the strongest on the LP, Freakchild’s acoustic guitar whines in Mississippi Blues fashion, emulating the late great Robert Johnson. With a smooth, deep, voice, Freakchild sings about succumbing to sexual temptation; “Sex and smoke everywhere. Think I went to heaven and died.” Impressive, mesmerizing guitar work fleshes out the tune that gets better with each listen.
The storytelling on “Tears of Fire” and “Skyflower” are spiritual, guttural, and effective. As he says in the liner notes, his “lyrics easily flow from the delicate to the desolate”. Fiery, fast blues chords propel “Tears of Fire” as Freakchild tells a tale of agony and betrayal; of “the burning eye… the burning flesh.”
Delicate, beautiful guitar strumming opens “Skyflower”, a peaceful, serene, and contemplative song about falling in love again. Freakchild sings about a “flower in the sky, climbing higher and higher. No need to reach for light.” The honest, humble, and vulnerable vocals – the vocals of a man opening up his heart- evoke James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and Townes Van Zandt.
“Don’t Miss Nothing ‘til it’s Gone” employs gentle finger picking at the start. The song explores mercy, privilege, and gratitude, with Freakchild singing “When the moon come up blood red, and the seas begin to boil. May the Lord have mercy on us all. May we all hear the angels call.” Freakchild bends strings with energy, giving a solid blues undercurrent to the track.
The album’s final track, “Keep on Trucking”, illustrates both Freakchild’s positive spirit as well as the positive spirit of the album. Bluesy, peaceful, and balanced notes introduce the song that is as much about resilience and preserving through tough times, as anything else. With a vocal delivery that sounds like Steve Earle, Freakchild sings of “a broken bible on the highway” and “an angel of mercy”, with the refrain, almost a Buddhist mantra to “keep on trucking.”
While “All Across America” and “All I Got is Now” don’t quite hit like the other tracks, Freakchild clearly shows himself to be a masterful troubadour on this album. Bare Bones displays exceptional storytelling and capable guitar playing, all fused with a unique spiritual perspective.
