ALBUM REVIEW: Compassion Colors Dori Freeman’s Songs on ‘Do You Recall’

Dori Freeman would likely make a good friend in real life. Do You Recall, her compelling fifth LP, features vivid tales of romantic friction that will inspire nods of recognition, introspective monologues sure to ring true for anyone used to self-interrogation, and righteous declarations of outrage at the lousy state of society today. This lovely album is like catching up with a pal who understands life’s ups and downs, and helps you make sense of its daily challenges.

Recorded at Freeman’s home in Galax, Virginia, Do You Recall downplays her Appalachian roots, with producer Nicholas Falk (also her drummer and spouse) keeping textures light and poppy. Rootsy signifiers like banjo and pedal steel are present, but the focus is on her sweet, appealing voice and smooth country-folk tunes, all written or co-written by Freeman.

Freeman’s relationship songs are marked by gnawing uncertainty. “I don’t want to be the answer to a sad, sad question,” she sighs in “Wrong Direction”; the rocker “Good Enough” wonders, “How is it we try so hard / And still fall short of the other’s bar?,” and includes tangy harmony vocals from old friend Teddy Thompson, who produced Freeman’s first three albums. The elegant “Rid My Mind” belongs on the list of classic kiss-off songs, and the itchy “Why Do I Do This to Myself” will connect with anyone prone to self-doubt.

When Freeman turns to the world outside, her indignant critique of systemic ills is suitably blunt. “Soup Beans Milk and Bread” glumly empathizes with those who struggle to pay the bills while the rich get richer, noting, “Your belly’s empty, but their pockets are fed.” Meanwhile, those in power practice their own brand of injustice. “They’re gonna love that baby ’til the day it’s born,” she grimly observes. Despite its breezy groove, “They Do It’s True” amplifies the anger, as Freeman calmly seethes, “Ain’t no woman safe or sound / When the rules they make / Are made to shit on you.”

After all the roiling emotions, she strives to put a nice bow on Do You Recall, closing this absorbing set with two sunnier songs. Co-written by her father, Scott Freeman, the easygoing “Laundromat” prescribes laundry as an antidote to stress (“The dryer hums me a lullaby / And into paradise I fly”), and “Gonna Be a Good Time” insists, “Nothing can go wrong now,” to a jaunty beat. Though she’s too honest to sugarcoat the bad stuff, Dori Freeman makes it easier to confront reality.

Dori Freeman’s Do You Recall is out Nov. 17 on Blue Hens Music Imprint.