Things happen in strange ways sometimes. I walked into the local music store called Mr. B's, here in Mt. Pleasant, MI awhile back to check out the guitars and see what was new. While I was looking around and chatting with Brian the owner, my wife started talking to a new guy behind the counter and looking at discs by local artists.
She mentioned to him that I write music reviews and he gave her his disc and asked if I would listen to it. We got done and left. She told me about what when on and I popped the disc into the trucks player.
Starting out with a monk like chant, the disc grabbed my attention. A lush orchestrated swell of music then captured me totally. Suddenly a sitar took center stage and I cranked it up. Then Chris turns to his guitar and blew me away with his metal prowess. I stopped the truck! This is music that grabs you and does not let go. There are times you hear something and you know that it's not just a song coming from the fingers of a musician; it is coming from the heart. There is a feeling elicited that makes you yearn for more. Stirring the inner being in a way that is liberating and at the same time mesmerizing, you find yourself feeling better just by listening to it. That's what happened to me when I heard the aptly titled first song off this album "Exorcism of Soul".
I had to talk to this guy! Quickly turning the truck around, we hustled back to the store and to Chris. What I found was a guy who is exactly what this album is. A man who knows how to touch what's inside, where it really matters; a guy who can say more with an instrumental album than the thousands of groups out there who think they are profound. I discovered someone who has found a way to put to music the search for what is important to us all. That is the thing inside that drives us and makes us who we are, what we call our soul.
Chris was the guitarist for the hugely popular Christian rock band GS Megaphone. He has toured the world and as he puts it "Played the big rock star". Finding that life was not what he was looking for, Chris started his search for what would provide that inner peace. He found some of the answers with the Monks at the Abbey of Gethsemani. This is what helped to create the magnificent work City of God.
Combining the use of the sitar, which emphasizes the spirituality of this disc, with the other instruments in his repertoire, Chris has created an album that is as stirring and satisfying; it defies you from not be touched in some way. It is a reflection of what has gone into the making of the guy named Chris Freeman and it will make you take a look at yourself and reflect on those things which make you who you are.
When you hear a song like "Soft Like Fire" there is something that reaches down and makes you look around at who and what you are. You will see things in a new light. It reminds me that there is still a lot of good; all you have to do is find it.
For those that want a very cool spiritual experience. This is the disc. If you just want to hear some terrific guitar music, pick this one up. If you want music that you feel instead of just hear, this one is a must have. It is an effort that is a totally overwhelming experience and will stir your sub-conscious to the point where you will look on the world in a different way. Somehow he has been able to musically provide you with a look at a troubled planet and shows that there is still hope and a lot of good out there. This is one truly amazing and uplifting journey. Thank you Mr. Freeman!!
Track listing:
1. Exorcism of Soul
2. Pre-Liberation March
3. Nave (For Brother Jude)
4. Angels in Calcutta
5. Mercy and Spring
6. Soft Like Fire
7. Horizons
8. Psalm 91 (My New War)
9. Hymn
10. The Ascetic
11. For Caleb
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