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This, his 17th release, finds the Rev once again tinkering with melodies, experimenting with musical forms, and reshaping his compositions with an undying thirst for reinvention. The 9 Reverend originals that are found on this album are not new per se but are new versions of songs from his prolific career of recordings. A new and improved best of collection if you will.

In an interview many moons ago, the Rev mentioned that he considered himself to be a Citizen of the Universe, and therefore anything but a religious fanatic or zealot but rather open to all faiths and non-faiths, yet he did consider his music to be part of his spirituality and perhaps a type of religious or ritual practice. Thus his lifelong pursuit to find meaning through music and his continuation to explore healing forms of sound and song, specifically by means of the outer limits of the blues, begun at an early age and has taken him around the world and across the musical universe. This collection of songs provides proof of that journey.

“Songs of Realization, or Songs of Experience (Tibetan: ཉམས་མགུར, Wylie: nyams mgur; Devanāgarī: दोहा; Romanized Sanskrit: Dohā; Oriya: ପଦ), are sung poetry forms characteristic of the tantric movement in both Vajrayana Buddhism and in Hinduism.” - Wiki

“…beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…“ - Isaiah 61:3 (King James Version)

The album begins with the bluesy Freakchild favorite, “All I Got Is Now,” first heard on the 2015 album, Hillbilly Zen-Punk Blues. The philosophical poem is fleshed out with the addition of a second layer of drums and some new B3 Organ to enhance the deep groove and the Buddhist teachings of the four thoughts that turn one’s mind towards the Dharma. The infectiously funky, “Dial It In (Beauty for Ashes Remix),” originally the title track from the 2018 release, Dial It In, is spiced up with congas from Jason Hann, trippy organ and a spacey reverb treatment that accentuates the lessons of; the shortcomings of the eight worldly concerns and the joyous freedom of getting in touch with and practicing the four immeasurables (Brahmavihara). Country fired road trip anthem “All Across America,” first heard on the album God Shaped Hole back in 2010, is beefed up with thick organ swells from Steve Sirockin (who also engineered overdubs and mixed the tracks for the new album at Altitude Recording in Boulder, Colorado). The sorrowful San Francisco lament, “Hippy Bluesman Blues,” is updated with some sweet pedal steel from Andrea Whitt and features Mark Karan’s tasty lead guitar on a shuffle that is equal parts Haight Ashbury and Beale Street.

The Rev then jams acoustic slide guitar on the delta-blues-meets-psychedelic-folk number “Amsterdam Blues,” resurrected from his 2001 debut Blues & Spirituals. “Tears Of Fire,” originally recorded as a lo-fi guitar and drums duet, is transformed into a blazing blues rock inferno fueled by lead guitar from Chris Bergson, with bass and harmonica from Hugh Pool over Chris Parker’s incomparable drum track. Sheryl Renee joins the Rev on the fully orchestrated update of “Skyflower (Watermoon).” The sweet country love song about falling in love on a meditation retreat is transformed into a soaring cinematic experience. Freakchild then hypnotizes trance blues style with another acoustic slide guitar song, sounding a bit like Chris Whitley, while fellow blues and spiritual prophet, The Reverend Shawn Amos, lends his harmonica to the new apocalyptic climate change revelation rendition of, “Don’t Miss Nothing ‘til it’s Gone.”

The album’s finale, “Keep On Truckin’,” redone with some soulful B3 organ and ukulele, pays tribute in name and spirit not only to country blues legend Blind Boy Fuller, but also musically and lyrically to perhaps one of Freakchild’s main inspirations, The Grateful Dead, whose musical sensibility and exploratory attitude formed the modern day blueprint for the fusion of folk, country, bluegrass, blues, jazz, funk, gospel, soul and rock & roll.

The Reverend likes to feature his talented and sometimes high-profile friends on his albums and this latest release has contributions from: Grammy nominated G. Love and The Reverend Shawn Amos, singers Sheryl Renee and Hazel Miller (Colorado Music Hall of Fame), drummers Chris Parker (Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, John Hammond, Jr.), Brennen Schedler and Patrick Carmichael,, percussionist Jason Hann (String Cheese Incident, Issac Hayes), lead guitarists Chris Bergson and Mark Karan (Bob Weir, The Other Ones), organists Melvin Seals (JGB) and Steve Sirockin (Altitude Recording), bassists Robyn Sylvester (Rat Dog), Jon ‘Bones Ritchie’ Robinson and Tim Kiah, Andrea Whitt on pedal steel, violist Jeremy Barber, Drew Glackin on lap steel, multi-instrumentalist Hugh Pool (New York Blues Hall of Fame / Excello Recording) and David Glasser (Airshow Mastering).

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