Review: Greg Freeman's 'All Set the Bone' is an ambitious but uneven alt-country double album

Greg Freeman's third album, 'All Set the Bone,' arrives as a double record of considerable ambition, following the acclaim he received for last year's breakout album 'Burnover.'

The Maryland-born singer-songwriter is known for a voice that often sounds like it is straining at its limits, paired with lyrics that explore anxieties both large and small across the record's songs.

A bigger, more diffuse sound

Compared to 'Burnover,' which was built on taut, story-driven songwriting, 'All Set the Bone' is described as more imagistic and diffuse, reflecting a period in which Freeman was traveling through the US and processing significant personal change.

Tracks such as 'Marooned' and the opener 'Cahokia' are noted for their frantic instrumentation and unsettled energy, contributing to the album's restless overall tone.

While the record is seen as an impressive achievement in scale and songwriting ambition, it is also described as less immediately appealing than its predecessor, with Freeman's talents spread across a longer, double-album format.

Despite containing fewer standout 'fireworks' moments than 'Burnover,' the album is said to retain much of the spark that distinguished Freeman's earlier work.