In a song like the elaborately arranged “Drop Me Off at the Rainbow,” Joe Macre can demonstrate a compositional versatility that has become quite rare in contemporary rock, while in the more straightforward “Get Up, Crack Down,” raw rock adrenaline serves as the biggest element in the spotlight. Where the contrast comes together in the tracklist of Macre’s new album The Dream is Free is within the continuity of the lyrics, as well as the music framing it, and for those who are intrigued by the progressive rock aesthetic, this might be the LP you’ve been waiting all summer for.
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The concept in everything from the title track in The Dream is Free to songs like “Not Looking Back Tonight,” “The Dark Sky Sea,” and “Ride or Die” remains tethered to the emotionality of the players, led of course by Joe Macre himself, and I think there’s as much to be said about the chemistry between him, Chris Elliot, Rick Witkowski, and Al Macre as there is the substance of the songcraft at hand. You can tell these players are invested in the artistry as well as the words our singer is putting forth, which isn’t all that common in solo offerings of this nature.
As immersive as it is experimental, multilayered songwriting brings us closer to the flame than most fiery rock n’ roll offerings are able to afford in The Dream is Free, and while progressive music isn’t for everyone, I think listeners who have a thing for this genre at its most efficient and thoughtful are going to consider this quite the banner release for 2022. Complexities aren’t fodder for theater in Joe Macre’s new album, and that could be one of the key details that made me like this record a lot more than the other prog LPs I’ve listened to over the past season.
Jodi Marxbury