Freedy Johnston – Live At 33-1/3

Some singer-songwriter types truly are storytellers. Others specialize in placing one perfect couplet in each song. Then there’s Freedy Johnston, who can often tell a story, or at least create the intricate framework for one, in the cozy confines of that perfect couplet.

This new release, available only via Johnston’s website and at his shows, was recorded live at Brooklyn’s 33-1/3 recording studios. It leads off with “The Mortician’s Daughter” (originally on Can You Fly), which in turn begins with one of those monumental pairings: “I used to love the mortician’s daughter/We drew our hearts on the dusty coffin lids.” Just sixteen words, but they promise a poignant love story complete with interesting characters and an unusual setting, not to mention foreshadowing, metaphors, and all that other good stuff.

Last year’s Blue Days Black Nights, a T Bone Burnett-supervised affair, was recorded darn close to live in the studio, making this totally live approach a next logical step. The commodious twin-guitar work from Johnston and accompanist Cameron Greider forms the perfect backdrop for Johnston’s melodic listener-participation tales. For good measure, there are covers of “Wichita Lineman”, the Hollies’ “Bus Stop”, and Cole Porter’s “Night And Day”, plus a new song called “Radio For Heartache”. But, Freedy, you had me at “dusty coffin lids.”