Freeloader II. Freeloader

In the year before Covid struck down our way of living, including the feeling of ever lasting growth of more, against all our deeper feelings and thoughts, Nat Freedburg released no less than three albums of which one under the name Freeloader, his new band. He's back with a new Freeloader album, simply called Freeloader II. All his energy went into the songs and not in thinking up a clever title. With that he made a totally right decision.

Freeloader II contains a dirty but oh so clever form of rock that deserves listening to in droves. A deep and present drums lays it all down. The bass fills it all up and the semi-dirty sounding guitars can do whatever they like on the top of this solid rock bottom. Freedburg, is mixed over it all, so he doesn't have to exert his voice. He sounds more than enough like a market salesman shouting the prices of his ware to all who come by already.

Besides Freedberg you hear Charles Hansen on lead guitar, Jim Janota on drums and Jim Haggarty on bass. The four of them have created an illusion. All parts were recorded separately, whether due to Covid restrictions or by design. The illusion is how tight the songs sound, almost as if the band is playing live in my room, all together. From the very first seconds the band is on fire. 'Under The Influence Of You' starts with an intro as if I'm walking too late into a venue and the band already started without me. Freeloader cooks up a storm from the very first second.

The good news is that the band manages to keep my attention for the whole album, despite that totally overwhelming start. The riffs fly in the round, the ballads work, the solos are there only because they should be, not because they have to. Hansen knows what he's doing alright. This goes for all four. They aim to sound as tight as possible and not play anything more than necessary. Here and there a lead note or two are allowed to escape from that tight mould.

Freeloader II is an album full of great rock songs, of a kind like they seldom make them anymore. All the more reason to check the album out and make it work for you as well.

Wout de Natris