Review: Josh Fix "Free At Last"

The package arrived with a return address of "Flop of the Year". With such a ringing endorsement, I couldn't wait to hear this CD by the modest Josh Fix.

"Free At Last" is certainly no flop; on the contrary, it is one of the best CDs I have heard all year. How can something that sounds this unbelievably good be accomplished by an indie artist, who pretty much plays everything and sings every note on the record? "Free At Last" is a monumental achievement, something you'd expect from the most seasoned of artists.

The grand and sweeping musical style with piano front and center will appeal to fans of Gavin DeGraw, Melêe, and Ben Folds. The complexity in the arrangements of these tunes is mesmerizing, yet his pop sensibilities keep everything catchy and memorable - very much like New Radicals. His voice is fantastic, with harmony vocals evoking Queen, Jellyfish, and ELO. Lyrically it doesn't get much better, as Josh Fix brilliantly balances poetry with satire. There is virtually nothing about "Free At Last" that doesn't work.

The party begins with the upbeat opener about the daily grind, "Don't Call Me in the Morning", which will enable you to smile and take it all in stride. "Whiskey & Speed" is an addictive track, and "Rock and Roll Slut" is destined to become the next great wedding song. Like the title track, "Burn It Down" and "Tiger on a Treadmill" continue to cast a fresh look on the every day circumstances that constitute our lives. Josh Fix sets a new bar for Ben Folds with his hilarious and biting critique of no-talents hacks, "Bad with the Superbad". He proves he's no one-trick piano pony with the acoustic guitar-driven title track and "What's the Point", the latter of which features a line all of us guys can relate to: "I know I'll find a way to screw things up with you".

Remarkably, Josh Fix performs all "vocals, bass, acoustic/electric guitars, Hammond B3, keyboards, loops & computer programming, percussion, arrangements & Eno-isms, more vocals, an antique Emerson upright piano, miscellany", while Andy Korn takes care of the drums. To call him an overachiever is an understatement. End the insanity and help bring justice to the world by buying this CD today and helping to spread the word. Make the music of Josh Fix a permanent fixture in your house.

iPOD-worthy: ALL TRACKS!

Josh Fix on MySpace. Official site.