Henrik Freischlader Band – Missing Pieces (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Henrik Freischlader Band – Missing Pieces (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:08:20 minutes | 738 MB | Genre: Blues
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Cable Car Records

That’s how the new release from Henrik Freischlader ‘Missing Pieces’ came into being, according to the band website anyway. As easy as that? Ah, but if you are familiar with Henrik at all you will know that under the cap, behind the pleasant grin and cool, easy-going persona, there is a lot of work, attention to detail and thought behind everything the man does – from the studio through to the cover artwork. Like it’s predecessor ‘Hands on the Puzzle’ the new disc is a veritable work of Art on all levels. In fact, unless you’re a dyed in the wool Alt-Blues purist or Hell-bent Rocker, you will very likely find ‘Missing Pieces’ to be Henrik’s best and most creative work to date. Henrik Freischlader’s manifesto for a peaceful revolution is a surefire winner.

Let’s get the cold data out there first. Recorded and mixed by Martin Meinschäfer at the Megaphon Studio in Arnsberg, ‘Missing Pieces’ continues musically where 2018’s ‘Hands on the Puzzle’ left off. Those hoping that 2017’s ‘Blues for Gary’ would signal a full return to Henrik as a Bluesman are still out of luck. The rest of us though are very much in luck as, without having to adhere to specific genre restrictions, Henrik can fully unfurl his creative mind. All songwriting and music credits go to Mr Freischlader, as does the producer credit, and it’s good to see the word ‘Band’ on the cover. I was never quite sold on Henrik playing all the instruments too, despite 2009’s self-titled disc being possibly his best to date. Seemingly he also sees the value of a real band playing simultaneously warts and all (although the quality of this band is such that ‘warts’ would need to be searched for by a microscope).

Tracklist:

01. Henrik Freischlader Band – Opening (04:03)
02. Henrik Freischlader Band – New Beginning (07:39)
03. Henrik Freischlader Band – Power to the Peaceful (03:38)
04. Henrik Freischlader Band – Let the People Be Free (04:19)
05. Henrik Freischlader Band – Another Missing Piece (04:26)
06. Henrik Freischlader Band – Justice Blues (06:07)
07. Henrik Freischlader Band – It Ain’t Funky (04:06)
08. Henrik Freischlader Band – I Wanna Thank You (05:32)
09. Henrik Freischlader Band – What Have I Done to You (06:05)
10. Henrik Freischlader Band – Grown Up (05:32)
11. Henrik Freischlader Band – One and One Is One (04:48)
12. Henrik Freischlader Band – We Used to Be Happy (08:15)
13. Henrik Freischlader Band – Walking in the Shadow of the Spotlight (03:45)