Daily Discovery: Anne Freeman Hopes To Join the Pantheon of Mississippi Stars

In a way, Mississippi can be seen as a musical fertile crescent of American music. Having birthed the Delta blues of Charley Patton, the yodeling “Father of Country Music” Jimmie Rodgers, and even the King of Rock N’ Roll himself Elvis Presley, the Magnolia State has left a very heavy thumbprint on the American Songbook. Indie folk artist Anne Freeman hopes to do the same with her new single and album of the same name “Days Go By.”

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Growing up in the Mississippi Delta, Freeman’s brand of Indie Pop carries genetics from the artists before her.  The soul is pure Blues… her power: pure Rock… her storytelling: pure country. A spirited indie pop song that recalls the winsomeness of early Juliana Hatfield with the confidence of a polished Liz Phair, “Days Go By” injects some of the swampy resonance of the Deep South with its reverent organ and pedal steel, courtesy of her backing band of the last two years, The Garbage Sons.  But the real showcase is her soaring and silky vocals which disguises itself as delicate and coy while communicating the troublesome subject matter of unhealthy friendships. 

“’Days Go By’ is about struggling to cut ties with a toxic friend but constantly getting lured back in,” says Freeman about the story behind the breezy track. “I had the music written before I put the lyrics to it. With no intention of going in that direction, I started singing what I wanted to say to that person directly and ended up keeping the lyrics because I realized that everyone has someone or something in their life that makes them feel incredible for a while, but eventually leads them down a dark path.”

An administrative assistant by day for the English Department of the University of Mississippi, Freeman came from a musical family who helped her cultivate her musicianship from the young age of 13 when she picked up the guitar for the first time with her brothers, dad and uncle and jammed alongside them.  After playing a handful of local Mississippi festivals and shows and contributing backing vocals on Mississippi country band Young Valley, Freeman caught the ear of Fat Possum Records product manager Graham Hamaker who quickly signed her to his new label Muscle Beach. Under the mixing ear of Matt Ross-Spang – best known for his work with John Prine, Jason Isbell and Margo Price, Freeman released her album Days Go By originally in 2018. 

With a relaunch set for 2020, she’s hoping that she can join the musical pantheon of legendary artists.  Patton, Rodgers, Presley and Freeman kinda has a ring to it.