Alex Bleeker & The Freaks – Country Agenda

As likable and genuine a fellow as he comes across, Alex Bleeker is a flagrant fibber: “I’m not a fan of looking back,” he sings on Honey, I Don’t Know, atop bluesy guitar licks and autumnal organ swells pulled straight from electric-era Dylan. Indeed, Bleeker and his latest line-up possess an affinity for the rustic jangle of classic rock that eclipses even his main band Real Estate, moving beyond nostalgic homage and into the much less trendy territory of bonafide revivalism.

Bleeker’s a proud Deadhead and the evidence abounds – bright harmonies, pastoral lyrics, the odd squelchy keyboard. Late cut Turtle Dove, a chirpy traditional favoured by Jerry Garcia, is admittedly an acquired taste but otherwise Country Agenda is an easy listen and certainly Bleeker’s most refined. Still, as exemplary a jam band as the current Freaks ensemble prove themselves (and likely the one he’s always wanted) this reviewer can’t help but wish Bleeker looked back as fondly on the raw, headier spirit of his debut.