Following his band's breakthrough 2014 LP,
Atlas
,
Real Estate
bassist
Alex Bleeker
revives his solo project
Alex Bleeker & the Freaks
with the earthy, warmhearted
Country Agenda
. On his third solo outing,
Bleeker
solidly finds his footing thanks, in large part, to a more full-time lineup of
the Freaks
as well as his most rewarding batch of songs yet. His two earlier efforts,
' self-titled 2009 debut and 2013's
How Far Away
, were largely made with a rotating cast captained by
's strong guidance, but for
he installed himself within the newly minted band and built the arrangements up collaboratively. It's no secret that
is an avid follower of
the Grateful Dead
and the friendly, loose-knit vibes he and his crew chase here owe a strong debt to that band's freewheeling spirit, particularly
the Dead
's acoustic-oriented early-'70s era of
American Beauty
and
Workingman's Dead
. His pleasantly cracked voice is supported by plenty of rich harmonies and the mellow organ and guitar tones give the record an inviting, organic feel. He's also made great leaps forward in terms of fidelity, abandoning the lo-fi haze of his earlier albums to record in the warm analog glory of NorCal's bucolic studio/artist retreat Panoramic House, where the New Jersey-bred
Freaks
gamely jammed in full view of the Pacific Ocean. The inspired West Coast setting almost feels like another bandmember as it informs tracks like the gentle country shuffle of "California" and the pastoral "Downright Stinson."
has no shortage of highlights like the
Big Pink-ish
"The Rest" and slow-dreaming boogie of "Honey, I Don't Know," but with its easy manner and comforting glow, it's the kind of long-player that is best enjoyed whole, preferably on a leisurely scenic drive. ~ Timothy Monger