Unconditional love.
She’s My D.O.G., originating from Freebo’s first solo-cd The End Of The Beginning, is the starting point for this second one. In that swinging rock song he confesses his feelings for his dog Garbo, which was audibly present during recording. Now he fills a CD with doggish songs and although it only contains eight songs, his feelings for that species are abundantly clear.
Apparently he holds the opinion that it is better to have the listener long for more than to bore him. He succeeds well in that, because the songs are rootsy and varied. Although the theme regularly brings about musical country influences, the folky lyrics are straightforward declarations of love.
Together with Robert Tepper and Harold Payne, Freebo wrote three songs himself. He also covers the traditional Old Blue, Red Foley’s Old Shep, Neil Young’s Old King and Neil Finn’s Lester.
Freebo makes them his own by his personal singing: Finn’s characteristic melody remains immediately recognisable, but he gives it an intimate acoustic twist. Stronger still that is the case with Young’s Old King: with an intriguing bass and dobro part and an inventive harmony vocal, he lifts the now evocative song high above the spiritless original. Another peak is My Dog Has Fleas, a soulful steaming song with layered horns.
Only: the booklet contains 15 dog portraits of this experienced dog lover and makes you long for at least seven more songs.
***1/2
Published on www.popmagazineheaven.nl together with Heaven no. 21, November-December 2002/no.6
A review of Freebo’s CD Before The Separation can be found elsewehere on this site.