Lanaleminaz Music Fashion Shield

Freedom's final outing in 1972, Is More Than a Word, is a study in contrasts. It still rocks hard as all get out, á la Humble Pie, but it also points in an interesting direction in places: toward more textured and acoustic-flavored material that echoes country music, thanks to an electric violin -- uncredited -- on the opening track "Together." Elsewhere, there is scathing blues-rock in the funky, raucous, rave-up vein on cuts like "Sweaty Feet," the elongated "Brainbox Jam," that goes off the funk nut, and a smoking cover of Don Nix's "Going Down." The shimmering, jazzy pastoralism of "&Direction" provides a glorious, smoky, spiritual vibe with killer guitar solos. The final track, "Ladybird," is full of outlandish arrangements, horns, with a complex melodic frame that makes the band sound Marc Almondish. While it is not an altogether successful outing, it nonetheless offers some great tracks, and a view of the band that would have been interesting, to say the least, had they continued. The Akarma package is typically handsome and durable with fine remastered sound. AMG.

listen here