Folkadelphia Session: Dori Freeman

If you set the phone book to music, Dori Freeman could make me cry singing those string of numbers, names, and addresses. How is it that the mid-twenty year old, Galax Virginia resident can command such power with what her website describes as the “lulling mountain drawl of her voice”? Whatever it is – perhaps the sincerity of the words, the burning passion of the singer, the easy flow of her debut album, or any combination of aspects – whatever it is, Dori Freeman is nothing if not a deeply compelling singer and songwriter.

When describing Freeman’s musical form, it is easy to point to her locale of Galax, in the vicinity of the Blue Ridge Parkway and a cluster of national forests, steeped in the old-time Appalachian and American roots tradition, as having a profound impact. However, while these styles certainly inform and build elemental parts of what I think makes Dori Dori, the young songwriter opts for a path a bit more genre-agnostic. Her producer, Teddy Thompson, much like in his music, is able to buff out sheen and shiny pop moments from the performance. As the album progresses, it is clear that whatever the mode or the medium, it is Freeman’s voice that steals the show.

Listen Dori Freeman’s solo and acoustic Folkadelphia in-studio session to hear just how amazing this rising artist is.