Sunday, May 3, 2020

Single Review - Freedom - Tommy Atkins



Tommy Atkins new single has divided us at Silverball Country.  Having been at Wham’s final concert back in June 1986 Rik finds it difficult to listen to Freedom without hearing George Michael singing it in the very 80s pop style.


Francesca, being so much younger, and not such a Wham fan hears this as a song to listen to on the porch as Tommy has certainly made it into a country song.


Tommy himself describes it as “laden with fiddle and steel and harmonies.  It’s a real country heartbreak”


The guitar with the beautiful fiddle underneath is one of the best Country intros we’ve heard in a long time which is matched by Tommy’s soft vocals starting to tell us a story of love and heartache. 


As we approach the chorus we split again – with Tommy opting for the slowed down, rural style with the steel guitar underlining the country styling of this cover.


In comes the drum for the second verse and with it we pick up the pace getting Grandma rocking out of her chair.  Even a Wham fan will find themselves singing along at this point.  As the song progresses we move from porch to stage – taking us to the barn dance and Grandma back to her high school prom.  While the pace goes up, we are reminded that Tommy is singing this as a lament, and slows it back down to use the final chorus as a declaration of what he really wants – all he really wants is you.


This is a message that love is love, and Tommy hopes that it will appeal to the LGBTQ community in Country Music. For Tommy this is also a tribute to one of the greatest songwriters and his favourite Wham song.

Listen to this song on the porch or wearing your Choose Life T Shirt

Freedom the new single from Tommy Atkins is available to download and stream on all major platforms

Find and follow Tommy on facebook or his website  

No comments:

Post a Comment