Virginia native, Dori Freeman’s eponymous debut record is set to drop February 5th. Born and raised in the tiny Appalachian town of Galax, Virginia, unlike most artists, Dori has no plans of moving away from her hometown to Nashville in order to get closer to the industry. Rather, Freeman wants to bring her fans closer to her. Dori Freeman’s debut album heralds the arrival of a major new name in Americana music. Teddy Thompson, the son of Richard & Linda Thompson, discovered Freeman over Facebook and agreed to produce her debut album based on the power of Freeman’s singing and songwriting.
To be released on Free Dirt records, every song on Dori Freeman is an original, and each one a window to a young woman in modern Appalachia, caught between the past, present, and future of one of America’s most fertile musical regions. That’s why Freeman can slip as easily into Nashville songwriting with “Go On Lovin’”, doo-wop swing with “Tell Me”, anthemic soul with “Fine Fine Fine”, or neo-classic pop with “Any Wonder”, or old-timey country with “You Say”, or gospel blues with “Ain’t Nobody”. This kind of genre-bending would be impressive in any other young artist, but Freeman is anchoring each of these excursions on two simple precepts: her stunningly beautiful voice and her deeply honest sense of songwriting. That’s what brought Thompson on board as her producer. “I was drawn to this project initially by Dori’s voice, which is purity itself,” Thompson says. “She sings from the heart with no affectation.”
Enlisting artists like Jon Graboff (The Cardinals) on guitar and steel guitar, Jeff Hill on bass, renowned pop/jazz pianist Erik Deutsch (Norah Jones, Rosanne Cash), drummer Rob Walbourne, and violin phenom Alex Hargreaves (Sarah Jarosz, David Grisman), Thompson fleshed out Freeman’s songs without losing sight of their raw power. And while Loretta Lynn may be the easiest comparison to Dori Freeman, as both come from hardscrabble Appalachian backgrounds, perhaps Norah Jones would be a better match. Freeman’s debut album, like Jones’ debut, refuses to be pigeonholed into any genre, focusing instead on the rare instincts of a natural songwriter. “If you’re going to write songs that people want to keep listening to,” Freeman explains, “then you can only write about exactly what you know.”
Dori Freeman opens with the old-time country tune “You Say”, which finds the narrator singing to an ex lover, telling him that she’s still in love with him, that she can’t stop thinking about him. “Where I Stood” follows the old-time feel, as the narrator talks about the end of a relationship, due to his cheating. Freeman explains, “You’re wasting my love and I’m wasting your time.” The song is filled with a gentle sadness, driven home by Freeman’s melancholy-filled vocals.
“Go On Lovin’” has a classic country, honky tonk sound to it, as Freeman sings about trying to find the will to go on loving after being crushed by an ex lover. “Fine Fine Fine” picks up the tempo a great deal, with the strong beating rhythm of the drums. “Lullaby” is sweet little, melancholy-twinged love song. The first thought that comes to my mind when I listen to “Lullaby” is that it reminds me of Patsy Cline; I think the delivery is reminiscent of Cline’s. The beautiful, lilting “Song For Paul” is perfectly stunning, from the production to Freeman’s vocal delivery, to the harmonies.
The standout on this record is the gospel blues “Ain’t Nobody”, reminiscent of Tennessee Ernie Ford’s “Sixteen Tons”. The song is a cappella and uses the snaps of fingers to establish the rhythm of the song. It’s catchy, rootsy, and has an infectious quality about it. The record closes out with the old time “Still A Child”, featuring a beautiful violin. The song finds the narrator concluding that her lover is “still a child” and not ready to be in a committed relationship. Dori Freeman is a beautiful, solid record, one that should definitely be added to your collection. I’m interested to hear more from Dori Freeman. She definitely has a bright future ahead of her.
Originally posted here.
