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The close vocal harmony that opens \u201cIn Motion\u201d sets a mood and establishes a high bar. The first track on The Freeway Jubilee\u2019s On the Horizon Volume 1<\/i> is suffused with positivity and enthusiasm. And the band\u2019s appealing mix \u2013 augmenting rock\u2019s traditional guitars\/bass\/drums configuration with baritone and tenor saxophones \u2013 highlights the deep connections between gospel, Southern rock, jam and good old, good-timin\u2019 rock \u2018n\u2019 roll.<\/p>\n
The lyrics to \u201cIn Motion\u201d include a nod to the band\u2019s rock \u2018n\u2019 roll heroes, and the tune shares some subtle similarities with Steve Miller Band\u2019s \u201cJet Airliner.\u201d But this Asheville, North Carolina band has more than enough good musical and lyrical idea of its own, so they can safely engage in the occasional tip of the hat without losing their identity in the process.<\/p>\n
Most of On the Horizon Volume 1<\/i> was self-produced in sessions at the band\u2019s home studio in Western North Carolina, led by bassist Kenny Crowley. And while there\u2019s an organic vibe to the sound, there there\u2019s nothing homemade in the production aesthetic; the recording is professional without being slick. The band\u2019s approach to these sessions clearly focused on documenting what they sound like live onstage, while making the most of the crystalline sonic values that a good studio can provide. The sound is equal parts \u201cbig\u201d and intimate; spin the record or CD at a suitable volume, and you\u2019ll feel like you\u2019re right there in the room with the five-man band.<\/p>\n
Crowley\u2019s funky bass line and Hunter Parker\u2019s beefy one-man horn section are merely two of the superb ingredients in the tasty, soulful stew of \u201cSunlight Stream.\u201d The gospel vibe that kicked off the album continues through here (and beyond), but when Crowley sings about the great outdoors being the \u201conly kinda churchin\u2019 a man like me could ever need,\u201d it\u2019s clear that any preaching The Freeway Jubilee might engage in is of the big-tent variety.<\/p>\n
Jonathan Clayton\u2019s searing slide work on \u201cSunlight Stream\u201d deserves special mention. Like a good studio arrangement, the song features a solo that demands attention, but wraps up quickly. It leave the listener wanting more. But then, that\u2019s what live show are for.<\/p>\n
Things do get a bit more explicitly devotional on \u201cNot the Same,\u201d but The Freeway Jubilee (who collectively compose all of their original material) take an approach not unlike the one George Harrison sometimes used: there\u2019s enough wiggle room in the lyrics that the listener can interpret them to be about the Lord, a parent or other loved one. That skillful approach to songwriting is a hallmark of the group\u2019s work, and only adds to the enjoyment of the music.<\/p>\n
The stirring \u201cRugged & Free\u201d seamlessly shifts from a gospel fee to jazz to blues and back again. The record\u2019s lengthiest tune at nearly ten minutes, its doesn\u2019t waste a second. The jazz feel comes from Parker\u2019s extended solo and fills, and Clayton\u2019s piano and organ solos add some r&b. Listen closer and you\u2019ll hear an ode to some of music\u2019s great legends. Stick around for a soaring lead guitar break that\u2019s the icing on the cake, and you\u2019re experiencing the strongest cut on the album. Even a brief bass solo doesn\u2019t seem the least bit indulgent.<\/p>\n
The ballad \u201cLet Me Try\u201d sounds like a Lynyrd Skynyrd deep album cut, and Clayton\u2019s piano lines really Billy Payne\u2019s work. The uptempo \u201cReachin\u2019\u201d concerns itself with matter of the soul, and the indefatigable optimism of the song is a welcome balm in the pandemic era. Parker\u2019s baritone sax solo adds heft to an already solid number, and the way the arrangement slides effortlessly into a guitar solo is masterful.<\/p>\n
On the Horizon Volume 1<\/i> ends as it began, with a song built upon a foundation of gospel harmony. \u201cHumble Song\u201d starts out by reminding listeners of this outfit\u2019s vocal versatility. And once that\u2019s done, the band moves into a gentle, countrified melody complete with cheery bits of harmonica. And as the four-minute mark approaches, the band shifts gears completely, turning in a honky-tonk melody that conjures mental images of bar stools being upended as the bar closes for the night. And then the band crowds around the vocal mic, warm smiles on their faces, to sing us home. But after spending time with Volume 1<\/i>, the audience eagerly awaits a second volume from The Freeway Jubilee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The close vocal harmony that opens \u201cIn Motion\u201d sets a mood and establishes a high bar. The first track on The Freeway Jubilee\u2019s On the Horizon Volume 1 is suffused […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,62,65,69],"tags":[4740,3232],"class_list":["post-22220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-release","category-rawk","category-review","category-soul","tag-freeway-jubilee","tag-freeway-revival","cat-49-id","cat-62-id","cat-65-id","cat-69-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22220"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23553,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22220\/revisions\/23553"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}