For the past thirty years, singer-songwriter Aaron Freeman has been known to the world as Gene Ween, one of the two masterminds behind arch-weirdos Ween. Now that his band has parted ways, he has taken the opportunity to strike out on his own. He has reclaimed his birth name and aims to start afresh with Freeman.
What will strike you immediately is how quaint this record can be at times. Freeman appears (at least superficially) to have matured with his audience but let's not forget that this is the former Gene Ween we're talking about here. This is a man who could coo the words “get the fuck out of my face”, right into yours as pleasantly as you please, which he does here on 'Covert Discretion'.
Most of the songs have a fun, Paul McCartney-esque vibe that helps to establish Freeman's voice as a separate entity from his famous band. This straight-forward approach is a far cry from the comic weirdness of Ween albums Pure Guava or La Cucaracha. The folkish whimsy in 'Black Bush' and the country-rock stomp of 'Gimme One More' are particular stand outs. Freeman is an album packed full of treats to reward to patient fan who has followed the man from his day job and into these future endeavours.
