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Greg Brown 'Freak Flag' listening party and contest

NOTE: This contest is now closed. Congratulations to our grand prize winner, Ann Hornbeck, and runners-up Isaac Pollard and Michael Carley! Thanks to everyone for listening and commenting. Feel free to keep the comments rolling, and keep an eye on our contests page for more upcoming contests.

Greg Brown has long been a fixture and a favorite among Americana audiences, and his forthcoming album, Freak Flag has been widely anticipated. (It's due on Yep Roc May 10, 2011 - check out Easy Ed's posting of the press release.)

According to Brown's bio:

Freak Flag (the Iowa native's 24th studio album and first on Yep Roc) was recorded--for the most part--in Memphis, Tennessee's time-tested rock'n'soul incubator Ardent Studios with the artist's longtime sidekick/guitarist Bo Ramsey producing; it features nine Brown originals plus a gorgeous pair of cuts 'borrowed' from his mega-talented family--wife Iris Dement's "Let the Mystery Be" and daughter Pieta Brown's "Remember the Sun."

Additionally--in an embarrassment of six-string riches--Ramsey's trademark atmospheric soundscapes and stinging blues licks are augmented on a half-dozen tracks by studio legend Richard Bennett (Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Billy Joel, Dire Straits, etc.) plus--on the evocative, haunting "Flat Stuff"--an elegant cameo solo by Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler.

We'd like to give one lucky ND community member an autographed copy of Freak Flag on CD and vinyl. (Two runners-up will receive an autographed copy only on CD.) To enter, simply listen to the free stream of the album below. Decide which song you like best, and cast your vote in the comments section of this blog post. Tell us why you think that's the best song on the disc, and we'll choose our grand prize winner and two runners-up at random.

NOTE: Comments posted to Facebook or Twitter, or in a separate blog post on this site, will not be considered toward this contest. To comment on this post, simply scroll to the bottom of the page and place your comment in the comment field. Feel free to vote more than once. All entries must be received by 11:59 pm PST on Monday Apr. 11, 2011. The winners will be announced the next day. Winners must have a US address for shipping.

SORRY, THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED AND THE ALBUM STREAM IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.

Tags: Greg Brown

Comment by Ramcey on April 5, 2011 at 5:52am: Oh man!? This is tough. I love every song here.

My fave might come down between the title song "Freak Flag",

and "Flat Stuff". I love the rockin' flow and sentiment of lyrics

in Freak Flag, but get lost in the imagery and Bo Ramsey's great

guitar work on Flat Stuff.

Hmmm? OK, I'm going with Freak Flag. At least for today! ;-)

Comment by Bruce Parkinson on April 5, 2011 at 5:56am: I'd have to agree with Michael...I love the lyrics to Let the Mystery Be.

Comment by Coleman Hutchison on April 5, 2011 at 6:24am: Of course you can't go wrong with "Let the Mystery Be," but I'm partial to "Rain & Snow." It's a classic Greg Brown weeper. It reminds me a bit of "Smell of Coffee" and "China," with great word play and a very sweet melody....

Comment by Tom Brewer on April 5, 2011 at 6:24am: great stuff!!!!

Comment by Hans L'Orange on April 5, 2011 at 6:59am: This one's a keeper. It's also worthy of repeated listenings and I suspect will really grow on us.

Hard to pass on the classic "Let the Mystery Be" and Brown's unique interpretation of those wonderful lyrics. "Freak Flag," "Flat Stuff," and "Rain and Snow" are also strong contenders but I'm probably going with "Someday House."

Classic - "I can sleep when I'm dead if I live that long."

Comment by mark miller on April 5, 2011 at 7:08am: Freak Flag .... maybe, I Don't Know Anybody In This Town ? ( man have I been there ! )

Comment by Michael Roeder on April 5, 2011 at 7:16am: I *really* love the dirty blues of "Mercy Mercy Mercy." Good stuff, and love that this is on vinyl!!!

Comment by Laura Birdsong on April 5, 2011 at 7:18am: There's some fine writing here, as I would expect from Greg Brown.

I'm enamored of these sweet, simple lines from "Flat Stuff":

The sun looks like a cookie that didn't come out right

The moon looks like a cookie, someone stole a bite

Thanks for the free stream!

Comment by Robyn Farmer on April 5, 2011 at 7:22am: "Let The Mystery Be" is my favorite because (along with other reasons) it has possibly the best lyrics I've ever heard in a song.

Comment by lee francis brown on April 5, 2011 at 7:31am: being from rural iowa "remember the sun" is an unsung mantra until about mid april after winter blues....the song shows the common thread between bo and greg's natural stripped down style..as if two blind men were weaving a blanket of artistic survival......i.e. (hair erect on back of neck syndrome)

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