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While its upbeat rockers add a welcome sense of urgency, Free Somehow is most interesting when it is slow, pensive and bleak.
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Although Free Somehow doesn't reach the energy level of Widespread Panic's best live performances, with Herring in place, the band has certainly rediscovered its musical roots.
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Entertainment WeeklyHerring's fluid performances are as tight as an extra-small Phish T-shirt on a fat roadie, even if some tracks make for better six-string showcases than others. [15 Feb 2007, p.67]
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It's certainly their most adventuresome, but overdone production touches from Terry Manning (ZZ Top, Al Green), who brings horns and an orchestra into the mix, blur some material.
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So while Free Somehow can't quite rival the energy of a Widespread show, it still offers something that those concerts cannot, making the album a worthwhile purchase for most dedicated fans.
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Stylistically and harmonically, Free Somehow is a departure from Widespread Panic’s recognizable sanguine Southern rock.
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Q MagazineFree Somehow has its moments, but as ever, there's something missing. [May 2008, p.141]
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Free Somehow, which marks the debut of new-ish guitarist Jimmy Herring, is no less of a tease, boasting three or four memorable songs (none mightier than 'Airplane') and the rest serviceable filler.
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Free Somehow sounds like what happens when wizened road warriors hit the studio begrudgingly.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 6 out of 8
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Mixed: 2 out of 8
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Negative: 0 out of 8
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JeffM.Feb 16, 2008Dark Day Program is beautiful. A different song than I have ever heard from Panic. The CD is a roller coaster ride.