This Perfect World
The latest in an illustrious series that includes Elliott Murphy, Marshall Crenshaw, Paul Kelly, and John Hiatt, Freedy is an exquisite singer-songwriter for the critics to champion and the masses to disregard. Butch Vig's crisp sonics and the restrained, almost old-fashioned rock and folk caress of the music make Johnston's deceptively easy-going tunes easy to fall in love with. "Evie's Tears," "Two Lovers Stop" and "Bad Reputation" are favorites.--Jeff Bateman