Jordan Officer’s breakout record sets him free!

Jordan Officer- a good lookin’ cat from Montreal with a slightly odd name and, frankly, I had zero expectations when I slipped this in the CD player. You could have knocked me over with a feather-Jordan is a fine singer, exquisite guitarist, and he plays his blues with a sense of humor. I’m Free is an absolute joy.

Officer took advantage of a 6 month residency in New York City offered to him by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quebec, coming back with this captivating album under his arm. The main body of it was recorded in two sessions with legendary drummers Charlie Drayton (Keith Richards, Herbie Hancock, Johnny Cash, Neil Young) and Tony Mason (Joan Osborne, Martha Wainwright, Norah Jones, Bo Diddley) resulting in a supple grooviness that you’ll find downright enchanting.

From the talking blues that kicks off the album in the song: At Least I’ve Got The Blues Jordan sounds relaxed and at home. Sometimes when you throw on a CD you can hear the artist trying too hard to nail it down and missing it- you appreciate the effort but end up saying “Eh, too bad”. I’m Free has magic to it, a subtle, mesmerizing, powerful thing. When I heard the instrumental Jackie’s Tune for the first time, within the first couple of bars the hair on my arms was standing up- it’s the kind of stuff that makes you close your eyes and go “OH yeah…”

Incase I’ve been too subtle here, let me just say that I love this record. At the earliest opportunity I will feature a brace of songs in the spotlight section of my radio show How Blue Can You Get, and songs from this disc will be appearing on the program as long as they let me have that hour every Sunday at noon. This isn’t the good stuff- it’s the great stuff.

ESSENTIALS: At Least I’ve Got The Blues, Jackie’s Tune, I’m Free

Uprise.FM, one of our industry partners released a series of Raw Recordings. Here we get to see Jordan up close and personal. While Hollywood style mini movies pimped up with special effects and grand mise-end-scene are cool; fans like seeing the real deal too from artists they enjoy.