Customer Reviews

Freedom Is

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4 star:		(3)
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John Doe is still burnt, miserable and imperfect. Freedom Is, Doe's second release with The John Doe Thing and first with X-mate DJ Bonebrake on drums, is brilliantly messy Doe business as usual. It's full of songs about messing up your life, making it better, then messing it up again, always gaining and losing faith as you crawl back home on your hands and knees, searching for redemption in a bedside telephone or a decent kiss. Doe always lets you hear it in his been-there-drank-that voice, too, in the way he can sing with a cracked, angelic grace over waves of fuzzed-out guitar electricity, then slide into the kind of life-torn howl that's as close to freedom as a beat-up punk heart can ever expect to get.

The John Doe Thing is the solo project of John Doe, the co-leader of X. X, an LA-based band that fuses punk, rockabilly, and country, began playing in the late 70s and have released a long line of mind-blowing fantastic albums. By comparison, John Doe's solo work tends to be more straight-up pop and rock and less edgy than X. That's certainly true with this album, though it features less roots and more indie-pop stylings than his previous solo records. While Doe's voice remains one of the best in the biz, the songwriting on this album falls a bit short of his previous solo work. This album certainly has its moments, and many of the lesser songs will sound great live, but knowing what John Doe is capable of producing, this album is an ever so slight letdown.

Isn't that just another way of saying "freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose"? Probably. But then most of what songwriters do is rework preexisting materials, including classic Kris Kristofferson songs. John Doe is an excellent songwriter. If there was any justice this album would be getting airplay, all the critics would be praising it, and it would be nominated for a Grammy, that's how good it is. But no, it languishes in obscurity, shoved aside by marketing machines and talentless drones. I just saw Doe with his still punky trio in Salt Lake City, and they kick posterior live!

FREEDOM IS... has great dynamics, moving from acoustic introspection to powerful electricity. It took a little while for the production to grow on me -- at first it sounded overproduced and murky, with too many layers of sound. But the foreground grabs you right away, and now I can hear what the use of a top-flight studio adds to the songs. Doe specializes in romantic anguish. If you haven't ever experienced that, you perhaps won't appreciate what he's doing. For the rest of us, he's tapped into it in a way that reminds you your pain is definitely not yours alone. Don't miss John Doe if he turns up at a club in your town, he is one of the best.

(verified purchase from John Doe at the Zephyr Club in Salt Lake City)

I first heard the entire CD after seeing John play the songs live at a club in Salt Lake City. This is a good album that keeps getting better every time I listen to it. If you are a John Doe fan you will love this album. The stand-out tracks on this album are "Beat up World" and "Too Many Goddamn Bands". The best voice in rock belongs to John Doe.

Not since the early X recordings have I been so moved by a J.Doe recording. Previous John Doe releases left me hanging, craving more...to be satiated, & finally it comes with "Freedom is..." Maybe it's the beautiful back up vocals done by John Doe himself, maybe it's the sultry way he sings "i touch your lips with my little finger tips." I can't tell exactly what it is but I do know that John is playing guitar and singing better than ever. I can't stop playing this record! Freedom is...everything I hoped it would be & more. Buy this album!

John Doe, destined to be in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, has released a masterful work. A textured album that gets better with each listening. Doe specializes in those things that each of us face privately, songs about loss and redemption. It's a shame that he is locked out of the pop mainstream, but his work will stand the test of time. He is an American Master in the vein of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. See him live if you get the chance!