Free To Grow — Imperfection(Aug. 7, 2020)♣ Free to Grow upevňuje svou identitu a místo na slunci uvolněním imperfekce, krásně vyváženého alba, plného serióznosti a jemnosti. Jak se obvykle stává, když se spojí tolik hudebníků z tolika prostředí, základ FTG je různorodý. Kapela si bere prvky prog, klasického rocku a vkusně zatáhne kousky country a písničkářství. Tyto odlišné vlastnosti pomáhají utvářet nejnovější koncept a vést skupinu soustředěnějším směrem, blíže k základním prvkům rock and rollu, než k jakémukoli jinému subžánru. A to je právě dnes a teď. Band se neustále vyvíjí. Pokud raná alba FTG evokovalo rychlé srovnání s obdobím Mountain nebo Jethro Tull, má FTG v roce 2020 více společného s kytarou Jimmyho Pagea, než Andersonovou flétnou a imperfekce je toho důkazem. Jeff Patch je stále hlavním skladatelem, sám zapisuje každou skladbu na tomto albu s uvítacím přidáním dvou spoluautorů s vedoucím kytaristou Josephem Bonnellem — dokonalost imperfekce je přímým výsledkem dlouhého seznamu interpretů alba: Bonnell electric guitar, basák Larry LeBlanc, bubeník James Rooney s vokalistkami Amandou L. Moss, Catherine LeBlanc, Susan Thompson a Sherri Chenard. K této základní sestavě přidejte pozoruhodné hostující zastoupení z řady regionálních talentů: Joshua Sangster, Tina Gaudreau, Bruce Hughes, Rachel Forbes, TC Richards, Conrad Mead, Katherine Moller, Don Rigley, Brenda Malley, Tammy Boyer, Danielle d’Entremont, Kayla~Renée Ossachuk a Rebecca Tremblay a věci by se mohly rozpohybovat netušeným směrem. Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada Genre: Melodic Progressive Rock | Classic Rock Album release: August 7, 2020 Record Label: Free to Grow Duration: 38:49 Tracks: 01. Silence 5:18 02. The Storm 1:27 03. No Change 6:13 04. Chaos 2:29 05. Miracle Man 3:48 06. Ice Storm 4:06 07. Bad Bear 4:07 08. No One Cried 0:55 09. Dagda 4:22 10. Imperfection 2020 4:19 11. Ok Boomer 1:45 ⊇ Mixed and mastered by our friendly East Yorkshire wizard Adrian Jenkinson at ♣ http://hairymonsteraudio.co.uk Review Matt Carter, AUGUST 18, 2020 ♣ Whether you call it reinvention or evolution, Imperfection is the Free to Grow album we’ve been waiting for. It’s easily the band’s most focused and concise release to date, full of finely tuned arrangements that utilize the collective skills of all involved to bring the absolute most out of each song. That said, it’s also perhaps an album Free to Grow wasn’t capable of making until now. ♣ Multi~instrumentalist Jeff Patch formed Free to Grow in 2013, and for the first half of the band’s existence it was seen by many to be Patch’s band. While deep down in the belly of the beast that still may be the case — Patch is still the group’s principal songwriter penning every track on this album himself with the welcomed addition of two co~writes with lead guitarist Joseph Bonnell — the perfection of Imperfection is a direct result of the album’s long list of performers. ♣ Collaboration has always played an important role in shaping the band’s music. From the very beginning, Patch’s vision for what this band could become relied on multiple instruments and a variety of voices each contributing to a series of deeply layered melodies. And like any band as ambitious in size as FTG — Imperfection averages roughly eight musicians per track with few exceptions — it took a while for the band to develop a consistent lineup and a sound that isn’t so easily pigeonholed. ♣ As they stand today, FTG’s core musicians include Patch on a range of instruments, Bonnell on electric guitar, bassist Larry LeBlanc and drummer James Rooney, with vocalists Amanda L. Moss, Catherine LeBlanc, Susan Thompson and Sherri Chenard. Add to this foundation notable guest appearances from a range of regional talent including Joshua Sangster, Tina Gaudreau, Bruce Hughes, Rachel Forbes, TC Richards, Conrad Mead, Katherine Moller, Don Rigley, Brenda Malley, Tammy Boyer, Danielle d’Entremont, Kayla~Renée Ossachuk and Rebecca Tremblay and things could start to become overwhelming. But that’s not the case. At least not with this album. Each instrument and each voice present on Imperfection bring something unique to these tracks without ever sounding like they don’t belong. On this album, FTG, for maybe the first time, sounds like an experienced ensemble well versed in arrangement and execution. They’ve got their band~craft dialed in. ♣ Of the many guests that appear on the album, Honey Gut’s Joshua Sangster steals the show, leading five of the album’s eleven tracks. His vocal range, delivery and tone take Patch’s words to new heights and when paired with the choir of voices that accompany the opening track, Silence, help to lead a massive choral outpouring that introduces the power behind the majority of tracks to follow. ♣ As is usually the case when so many musicians from so many backgrounds come together to create, the FTG foundation is a diverse one. The band takes elements of prog and classic rock and tastefully pull in bits and pieces of country and folk. These distinct characteristics help shape this latest release, guiding the band in a more focused direction that leans closer to rock and roll’s foundational elements than to any one subgenre. But that’s just today. That’s just right now. This band is ever~evolving. If early FTG releases found quick comparison to the likes of Mountain or Jethro Tull, FTG in 2020 has more in common with Page’s guitar than Anderson’s flute and Imperfection is proof. ♣ http://www.gridcitymagazine.com/ Bandcamp: https://freetogrow.bandcamp.com/album/imperfection FB: https://www.facebook.com/FreeToGrowBand/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/freetogrowband Website: https://www.freetogrowband.com/
Free To Grow — Imperfection (Aug. 7, 2020)
♣ Free to Grow upevňuje svou identitu a místo na slunci uvolněním imperfekce, krásně vyváženého alba, plného serióznosti a jemnosti. Jak se obvykle stává, když se spojí tolik hudebníků z tolika prostředí, základ FTG je různorodý. Kapela si bere prvky prog, klasického rocku a vkusně zatáhne kousky country a písničkářství. Tyto odlišné vlastnosti pomáhají utvářet nejnovější koncept a vést skupinu soustředěnějším směrem, blíže k základním prvkům rock and rollu, než k jakémukoli jinému subžánru. A to je právě dnes a teď. Band se neustále vyvíjí. Pokud raná alba FTG evokovalo rychlé srovnání s obdobím Mountain nebo Jethro Tull, má FTG v roce 2020 více společného s kytarou Jimmyho Pagea, než Andersonovou flétnou a imperfekce je toho důkazem. Jeff Patch je stále hlavním skladatelem, sám zapisuje každou skladbu na tomto albu s uvítacím přidáním dvou spoluautorů s vedoucím kytaristou Josephem Bonnellem — dokonalost imperfekce je přímým výsledkem dlouhého seznamu interpretů alba: Bonnell electric guitar, basák Larry LeBlanc, bubeník James Rooney s vokalistkami Amandou L. Moss, Catherine LeBlanc, Susan Thompson a Sherri Chenard. K této základní sestavě přidejte pozoruhodné hostující zastoupení z řady regionálních talentů: Joshua Sangster, Tina Gaudreau, Bruce Hughes, Rachel Forbes, TC Richards, Conrad Mead, Katherine Moller, Don Rigley, Brenda Malley, Tammy Boyer, Danielle d’Entremont, Kayla~Renée Ossachuk a Rebecca Tremblay a věci by se mohly rozpohybovat netušeným směrem. Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Genre: Melodic Progressive Rock | Classic Rock
Album release: August 7, 2020
Record Label: Free to Grow
Duration: 38:49
Tracks:
01. Silence 5:18
02. The Storm 1:27
03. No Change 6:13
04. Chaos 2:29
05. Miracle Man 3:48
06. Ice Storm 4:06
07. Bad Bear 4:07
08. No One Cried 0:55
09. Dagda 4:22
10. Imperfection 2020 4:19
11. Ok Boomer 1:45
⊇ Mixed and mastered by our friendly East Yorkshire wizard Adrian Jenkinson at ♣ http://hairymonsteraudio.co.uk
Review
Matt Carter, AUGUST 18, 2020
♣ Whether you call it reinvention or evolution, Imperfection is the Free to Grow album we’ve been waiting for. It’s easily the band’s most focused and concise release to date, full of finely tuned arrangements that utilize the collective skills of all involved to bring the absolute most out of each song. That said, it’s also perhaps an album Free to Grow wasn’t capable of making until now.
♣ Multi~instrumentalist Jeff Patch formed Free to Grow in 2013, and for the first half of the band’s existence it was seen by many to be Patch’s band. While deep down in the belly of the beast that still may be the case — Patch is still the group’s principal songwriter penning every track on this album himself with the welcomed addition of two co~writes with lead guitarist Joseph Bonnell — the perfection of Imperfection is a direct result of the album’s long list of performers.
♣ Collaboration has always played an important role in shaping the band’s music. From the very beginning, Patch’s vision for what this band could become relied on multiple instruments and a variety of voices each contributing to a series of deeply layered melodies. And like any band as ambitious in size as FTG — Imperfection averages roughly eight musicians per track with few exceptions — it took a while for the band to develop a consistent lineup and a sound that isn’t so easily pigeonholed.
♣ As they stand today, FTG’s core musicians include Patch on a range of instruments, Bonnell on electric guitar, bassist Larry LeBlanc and drummer James Rooney, with vocalists Amanda L. Moss, Catherine LeBlanc, Susan Thompson and Sherri Chenard. Add to this foundation notable guest appearances from a range of regional talent including Joshua Sangster, Tina Gaudreau, Bruce Hughes, Rachel Forbes, TC Richards, Conrad Mead, Katherine Moller, Don Rigley, Brenda Malley, Tammy Boyer, Danielle d’Entremont, Kayla~Renée Ossachuk and Rebecca Tremblay and things could start to become overwhelming. But that’s not the case. At least not with this album. Each instrument and each voice present on Imperfection bring something unique to these tracks without ever sounding like they don’t belong. On this album, FTG, for maybe the first time, sounds like an experienced ensemble well versed in arrangement and execution. They’ve got their band~craft dialed in.
♣ Of the many guests that appear on the album, Honey Gut’s Joshua Sangster steals the show, leading five of the album’s eleven tracks. His vocal range, delivery and tone take Patch’s words to new heights and when paired with the choir of voices that accompany the opening track, Silence, help to lead a massive choral outpouring that introduces the power behind the majority of tracks to follow.
♣ As is usually the case when so many musicians from so many backgrounds come together to create, the FTG foundation is a diverse one. The band takes elements of prog and classic rock and tastefully pull in bits and pieces of country and folk. These distinct characteristics help shape this latest release, guiding the band in a more focused direction that leans closer to rock and roll’s foundational elements than to any one subgenre. But that’s just today. That’s just right now. This band is ever~evolving. If early FTG releases found quick comparison to the likes of Mountain or Jethro Tull, FTG in 2020 has more in common with Page’s guitar than Anderson’s flute and Imperfection is proof.
♣ http://www.gridcitymagazine.com/
Bandcamp: https://freetogrow.bandcamp.com/album/imperfection
FB: https://www.facebook.com/FreeToGrowBand/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/freetogrowband
Website: https://www.freetogrowband.com/