LimeWire Music Blog

After some 25 years of Americana-soaked sonic adventures, first with his band Green on Red and then as a solo singer-songwriter, Chuck Prophet should get a dollar every time anyone anywhere uses the term “roots rock.” On Let Freedom Ring, Prophet proves that it’s possible to work up a piston-pumping batch of tunes that incorporate touches of blues, soul, country, and rock while still maintaining a sharp lyrical pen. Many of the songs here walk the line between detail-oriented narrative and imagistic musing, while Prophet’s deadpan delivery drives the whole thing home. The title track finds him taking on a tone (both vocally and lyrically) somewhere between Dave Alvin and James McMurtry, but often there’s a vague Ray Davies quality to both Prophet’s voice and delivery, suggesting that perhaps his storytelling abilities come from somewhere outside the usual Americana toolkit. If you’re in the market for an unpretentious, organic-sounding album of roots-rocking tracks that completely avoid the genre’s usual tropes, you might be inclined to Let Freedom Ring.