Freeman’s album was listed in Rolling Stone‘s most anticipated country albums of the year. Get a gander of 5 seconds of a Freeman song and you’ll know why. The quality of Freeman’s voice is just not something that exists in country music these days. She brings to mind the greats of the golden age — Dolly, Loretta, Emmylou — without sounding like a wan imitation.
Freeman’s got some songwriting muscle, as well. “You Say” launches the album with a powerful folk verve. While the press materials like “Fine Fine Fine” to 60s pop, I’d say her voice is too classically country for Freeman to fall into any other category easily. Her sensibility of three chords and the honest, bitter truth pervade the album, giving all of the songs that most elusive of qualities: authenticity. “Ain’t Nobody,” an a cappella masterpiece, will send shivers up your spine as it simply describes the intersections of capitalism, poverty, and racism and its brutal impact on the lives of those who are most exploited. Freeman is a powerful addition — not just to the country world, but to the American lexicon of songwriting.
Dori Freeman — Official, Facebook, Purchase from Free Dirt Records