Rating: **1/2
Free Willy seems like a good time, really.
They are bluegrass and country-western slingin' good ole boys from Texas. Would could possibly go wrong?
Well in my experience, plenty can. But I'm going into this review with an open mind and an open heart.
Will Free Willy be another basic bar band or will they offer something a little different? Enough to engage a metalhead?
We're about to find out.
Listen to "Remember the Alamo" on Spotify here.
We start out with the very cute "Amazing Gracie". My dad would have loved this one. It's a great little bluegrass tune. I'm going into track two with a renewed sense of hope. "Get in the Car" is kind of a letdown. They really slip into bad country here and I didn't dig it. That's ok. Track three is "God Has a Name" kicks the bluegrass feel up again and it's welcome. It's another cute one. So far we are 2/3. Not bad in baseball. "Not Your Everyday Love Song" is next and it's ok. Singer, W.B. Jones has a delightful singing voice, but we do slip into "good karaoke" mode fairly often. "As a Man Thinketh" is a neat mix of Dixieland and gospel and actually is one of the highlights of the first half of this record. "Another Day Another Dollar" and "It's Good If You Like It" are both good bluegrass songs. If I saw them in a bar I'd be impressed, but it's not blowing my mind on a recorded medium. "Meant to Be" is a love ballad and it's very sweet. "Sugar Baby" is an instrumental track bounces along at a different cadence than the rest and that's a good thing. The album suffers from all the songs sounding kinda similar so this song is a welcome addition to the mix. "Down the Track" is a traditional sounding bluegrass tune that might be the strongest song on the record. Excellent guitar in this one. Next is the title track "Remember the Alamo" and it's another ballad. I prefer this one to "Meant to Be" due to its earnest lyrics and sweet tone. The LP ends with a Medley of The Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful and what it lacks in execution it makes up for in originality. It's a nice touch.
I've never loved bluegrass, but this isn't bad. Free Willy are probably going to more than please fans of the genre and offer enough good to make people that aren't fans stick around for awhile. Go pick it up if you're a fan of this style and if you're not it's probably a pass.
Keep up with Free Willy here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freewillyband/