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George Freeman: 90 Going On Amazing
ByThe thing that's most striking about this record, and perhaps most important when it comes to discussing George Freeman's sonic identity, is tone. He presents every idea with a bright and rounded sound, direct as can possibly be. His power of sustain is pure perfection, as single notes hang over the harmonies below with just the slightest taper, and his repetitive, one-note flutters come off like a beautiful gathering of lightning bugs, not a buzzing swarm of bees. His ideas almost seem to run second to his sound, and that's just fine. With a sound like that, who would want to draw focus away?
Originals dominate here, with only three covers showing up on the playlist, and most of the material is fairly easygoing in nature. Numbers like "That's It," "Steppin' With George," and "Contaminated" speak to the blues-soaked world in which Freeman has always thrived; "Trees" and "That's All" offer opportunities to bask in the glow of the guitarist's ballad playing; "Bruz, George, Chico & Von" speaks to blood, giving pianist Vince Willis a chance to step to the microphone and add laudatory vocals honoring Freeman's musical family; and "Mike's Tempo" brings sunny and slinky qualities to the fore. In every case, Freeman sits in the driver's seat and Willis is right there to give him what he needs. There's a no-frills quality behind what bassist Jack Zara and drummer Kevin Patrick bring to the tabletheir contributions are fairly bland, to be honestbut they're not the ones who need to carry the date. Those two sidemen get through without fanfare, leaving the spotlight right on the leader.
Freeman won't wow you with virtuosity, there's absolutely nothing forward-looking to be found here, and the final mix could've been a bit better. But none of that really matters in the grand scheme of this recording and this musician's history. 90 Going On Amazinga bit of a misnomer in a way, since Freeman was 78 when it was recordedis about a man's ability to tell a story with his guitar, plain and simple. It's hard not to appreciate what George Freeman has to offer in that respect.
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George Freeman
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90 Going On Amazing
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