Chuck Prophet – Let Freedom Ring

Chuck Prophet – Let Freedom Ring (Yep Roc)

Chuck Prophet began his musical journey as Dan Stuart’s foil in Green on Red, an often tremendous band that mixed scabrous garage, Dylan-Velvets poesy, and American roots in cool ways. ‘Let Freedom Ring” is a good representation of the best in Prophet’s solo career. Prophet is a sharp, never pretentious, lyricist. The songs on his new record ‘Let Freedom Ring” illuminate the current American predicament, wryly capturing the woes of the workaday and the marginalized.

Prophet uses his modest baritone effectively, sounding like Tom Petty after too many drinks and too much sun. A first-rate guitar player, he has much in common with Mike Campbell, Keith Richards, even Richard Thompson. Some of Prophet’s records court Americana’s banal reserve, but “Let Freedom Ring,’ recorded in a funky analogue studio in Mexico City, rocks loose and profits from it. Chuck Prophet isn’t reinventing the wheel. He rarely strays from a sound that would engage a savvy Dylan, Petty or Stones fan. With a really good record like “Let Freedom Ring,” he makes worthy company for such icons.

Reverberating: 8.2