Patrick Freeman’s Gorgeously Chill Debut [stream]

Patrick Freeman – Perfect Fit SoundCloud

It always piques my interest when a producer or session musician decides to record something of their own. Being a part of the process but not directly responsible for what happens thereafter must be simultaneously freeing and frustrating. Such is the case with Patrick Freeman, who has worked for years as a session musician and performer but decided he had something of his own to say.

Freeman’s debut solo EP, Perfect Fit, is just three songs long, but each is substantial in the way a song can be when the songwriter knows exactly what he’s going for. The title track unfolds in Beatles-meets-Beach Boys fashion at certain points in its melody, but Freeman’s voice takes it somewhere else. It sounds like a restrained version of the 70s rock vocalists who could really sing with that glimmering vibrato. Actually, restraint is a common thread throughout Perfect Fit, as the lap steel and slide guitar provide a plodding Western vibe to otherwise chill folk.

Perfect Fit is an interesting trio of songs that invoke a bit of Glen Hansard at times, possibly because they’re both Irish, but is actually a unique creature all of Freeman’s own design. Simple yet gorgeous, I’m already looking forward to what Patrick Freeman has in store for next time. Download his debut EP for “Name Your Own Price” here!