Tom Freund
(Surf Road)
It's a rough world out there, what with the whiplash ride on Wall Street, our quibbling politicians, unemployment still at an alarming high, and chaos ensuing overseas. And damn, if it ain't tough enough for your average singer/songwriter who's attempting to get some leg up on the competition. Ask Tom Freund for example. One of America's most satisfying songsmiths, he establishes a consistently high bar, with a knack for quality control that ought to make him the envy of everyone else out there. And yet, here he is, struggling for attention while going about his business and hoping those unaware will finally take notice.
Freund's latest, the genial and unassuming The Edge of Venice, is yet another reason to hold out for that possibility. Whether it succeeds or not in that regard remains to be seen, but if patience and prowess have anything to do with it, it ought to pass the test. Freund doesn't necessarily expand any parameters - his homespun narratives are very much of the traditional troubadour style -- but then again, he really has no need to. It's enough to hear him cobbling together these nine songs drawn from everyday intents and littered with tattered observations and remorseful confession. Whether it's the worrisome and suspiciously sacrosanct "Cruel Cruel World" ("Bloody Mary's aren't very bloody/That's not what Mary said/She had a boy named Jesus/Without getting out of bed..."), an apologetic ode like "Lonesome," or the air of uncertainty that fuels "Fire Trucks," Freund manages to strike a precarious balance between assurance and uncertainty. If nothing else, The Edge of Venice offers more reason for reflection and ample cause for contemplation.
DOWNLOAD: "Cruel Cruel World,"
"Lonesome," "Fire Trucks" LEE ZIMMERMAN
