Dori Freeman “Do You Recall”

An album that appeals to the senses, warms the heart and makes the spine tingle.

Dori Freeman grew up in a family that played lots of traditional music, and although she started her musical career in country traditionalism, she has gradually, over her previous four studio albums, developed her own musical identity. Maintaining but also reaching beyond her mountain-town roots, ‘Do You Recall‘ encompasses the full range of Freeman’s influences and abilities. Growing up attending fiddler conventions and listening to her father play jazz, swing, country, and rock & roll has all influenced the gradual but defined change in the texture of her music, leading to this being her most eclectic and electric album to date.

Blending her stunning, classic folksinger vocal with a modern, contemporary sound, Dori Freeman warms the heart and makes the spine tingle with her personal yet universally observational songwriting covering subjects including marriage, motherhood and life in modern-day Appalachia.

The title track, with its searching and longing, enchantingly depicts the difficulties of a busy life often spent apart: “We’re spinning tires down a long and winding road, opposite directions sometimes it’s a heavy load, but it’s alright, ‘cause we both know that what we have is rare”. ‘Wrong Direction‘ is a very honest, relatable account of how tricky the parent-child relationship can be, whilst both ‘Soup Beans Milk and Bread‘ and ‘They Do It’s True‘ explore the physical beauty, social challenges and musical hallmarks of Appalachia. These songs are gentle and measured yet vividly portray their essence. ‘Movie Screen‘ has a picturesque narrative with a dreamy, fair-ground sound that wonderfully portrays the escapism that the song is about.

Before this album, Freeman’s work was all single-handed. But, with ‘River Runs‘ written with her drummer and producer-husband Nicholas Falk, and ‘Laundromat‘, a quirky song about escaping for a break, co-written with her father Scott Freeman, co-writing represents another change in approach. Concerned about living up to expectations, ‘Good Enough‘ has a rockier beat with effective harmony vocals from Freeman’s longstanding advocate and former producer, Teddy Thompson. In ‘Why Do I Do This To Myself‘ and ‘River Runs‘, Freeman fully lets go of traditionalism and embraces a more modern vibe while keeping her strong identity.

Freeman’s distinctive vocals, engaging tales, complimentary harmonies, tasteful percussion, organ, electric and pedal steel guitars, and varied musical influences make this an alluring, easy-listening album.