Reverend Freakchild – Songs of Beauty for Ashes of Realization | Album Review

Reverend Freakchild – Songs of Beauty for Ashes of Realization

Treated and Released Records www.treatedandreleasedrecords.com

9 songs – 38 minutes

A unique artist with multiple divinity degrees, Reverend Freakchild states that he’s a Buddhist but that “music is my religion” and he usually performs solo, but he delivers a full-band effort on his latest CD, and you’ll want to worship deeply at the altar of this set, which revisits and reinvigorates nine originals culled from his previous releases, because the good reverend truly practices what he preaches.

The son of parents who were lovers of both classical music and the blues, he grew up in Hawaii, earned philosophy and divinity degrees from Northeastern University in Boston and Naropa University in Colorado. His diverse professional career has included work in alt rock and jam bands, gospel performances at Carnegie Hall and a steady, three-year gig at Tobacco Road, the longtime hippie hangout in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen.

Reverend Freakchild delivers vocals on all of the tracks here. A multi-instrumentalist, he also handles National Resonator and acoustic guitar, ukulele, harmonica and organ synthesizer. Eight full-band arrangements and one solo composition, he joins forces with a truly eclectic, all-star cast.

Hugh Pool of Mudbone contributes electric and lap steel guitars along with Mark Karan (Bob Wier/RatDog), Chris Bergson, Andrea Whitt and Drew Glackin. Steve Sirockin and Melvin Seals provide organ, G. Love and the Reverend Shawn Amos harmonica, Jeremy Barber viola, Tim Kiah, Jon “Bones Richie” Robinson and Robin Sylvester bass and Brennen Schedler, Chris Parker (Bob Dylan/Joe Cocker), Patrick Carmichael and Jason Hann (String Cheese Incident/Isaac Hayes) percussion. They’re augmented by Hazel Miller, John Ragusa and Sheryl Renee on backing vocals, and several of the musicians lend their vocal talents, too.

Full of rich grooves and deep imagery throughout, the set kicks off with  “All I Got Is Now,” a number infused with a funky beat and a strong reminder that yesterday will always be history, tomorrow a mystery and stresses the necessity of living in the current moment. It gives way to “Dial It in (Beauty for Ashes Remix),” a spacy, reverb-driven reverie in which the Reverend’s driving the highway at night with the radio on and thinking about getting lost until he’s found again. Its lyrics string together a dazzling mix of thoughts about compassion and more.

“All Across America,” another road tale, screeches its wheels as it leaves the starting gate. Driven by a percussive triplets high in the mix, it features swelling organ from Sirockin and the Reverend on harp before giving way to “Hippy Bluesman Blues,” which is delivered atop a steady shuffle and Karan’s lead guitar as the singer pledges allegiance to the revolution and the desire to find a solution even though he isn’t aware of the underlying problem. The only solo effort, “Amsterdam Blues,” finds Freakchild riffing psychedelic Delta licks on acoustic guitar as he delivers haunting lyrics about having to rely on himself.

“Tears of Fire,” an medium-fast blues-rocker, gives Bergson space to shine, before Renee doubles the vocals on “Skyflower (Watermoon),” a steady-driving love song that describes the lady as a flower in the sky that keeps forever climbing higher. “Don’t Miss Nothing ‘Til It’s Gone,” a duet that features Amos, follows before a rollicking version of “Keep on Truckin’,” a number penned by pre-War superstar Blind Boy Fuller, the Reverend’s chief inspiration, and also delivers a trip of the hat to the Grateful Dead, who fused folk, blues, country, rock and soul into an artform all their own.

If you were a hippie – or ever wanted to be, you’ll find a lot to love about this one. It’s trippy in a good way and good for your soul, too!

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