Ten Thousand Roses
Blue Hens, 2021
8/10
A Virginia songstress who certainly embraces her surroundings with her music, Dori Freeman brings along names like Ric Robertson (electric, acoustic, baritone and bass guitars), Nicholas Falk (drums, percussion, vocals) and Victor Furtado (acoustic and electric banjo), among others, for these 10 tracks that shift from the heartbreak of her earlier work to life as a wife and a mother.
Freeman starts the listen with much atmosphere on “Get Can’t You Off My Mind”, where her alluring and comforting voice guides the warm country rocker that welcomes banjo and agile drumming, and “The Storm” follows with a sweet folk song where Freeman’s diverse pipes are met with flowing keys and spirited guitar work.
At the halfway point, the retro flavored “Nobody Nothin’” benefits from dreamy guitar as Freeman’s pretty voice makes this one of the album’s best, while “Appalachian” indeeds brings a mountainous theme with breezy melodies populating the timeless Americana.
The title track arrives near the end, and offers a swift and upbeat vintage appeal of jangly folk sounds, and “Only You Know” exits the listen with electric guitar from Adam Agati, as Freeman hits some pretty high notes with her country, folk and rootsy formula.
Freeman’s work resides in an area of music that’s often steeped in songs about failed love, but her motherhood themes are certainly just as easy to enjoy, and along with her exceptional help she further cements herself as an artist worthy of much attention for the Americana inclined.
Travels well with: Ric Robertson- Carolina Child; K.C. Jones- Queen Of The In Between