to listen or purchase
In the world of hip-hop, the more street cred you have, the more authentic your skills seem to be; so if Freddie Lee chose to spit verses instead of sing, he would already be down by law, thanks to his hard knock life as an impoverished youngster in Pahokee, FL. and his struggle through the adult years to make it in the business after being stranded overseas by shiesty friends and shady deals. But since singing and songwriting is his chosen hustle, he pours that energy and emotion into Beyond Comprehension, a CD that highlights his burgeoning lyrical skills, a warm, luxurious tenor and his determination to remain positive in spite of what life may throw his way.
In the world of hip-hop, the more street cred you have, the more authentic your skills seem to be; so if Freddie Lee chose to spit verses instead of sing, he would already be down by law, thanks to his hard knock life as an impoverished youngster in Pahokee, FL. and his struggle through the adult years to make it in the business after being stranded overseas by shiesty friends and shady deals. But since singing and songwriting is his chosen hustle, he pours that energy and emotion into Beyond Comprehension, a CD that highlights his burgeoning lyrical skills, a warm, luxurious tenor and his determination to remain positive in spite of what life may throw his way.
With secular-sounding music and sanctified lyrics (impressively, he wrote all of Beyond's fourteen tracks), Mr. Lee's vocals are a soothing presence throughout, conveying optimism ("Brighter Days,"), the gift of God's grace ("Great I Am"), becoming a believer ("The Way I Found U") and the importance of having true-blue down to-the-bone companions to help along the way ("Friends"): "Now there are those who are fair-weather friends, they only wanna come around in the good times when its not so bad. They'll know you're down and out and refuse to help you through; a true friend wouldn't turn their back on you."
Don't let his youth fool you into believing that he can't articulate the hard times and bad times: simply put, Beyond.... is about surviving the trials of the world, becoming reborn and attempting to witness to others in the process (except for the sole sweetheart's serenade, "Oh How I Love You"). Mr. Lee's spiritual passions and authentic life testimony keep what could've been too-serious / preachy songs ("Many More," "Higher" and "The Word") buoyant and even bouncy from time to time ("My Mother Said," "Waiting For Me").
If there's any quibble to be had with Beyond...., it doesn't lie with his talents; it's with the simplicity of the arrangements, or the lack of lived-in texture that keeps the songs from retaining the grit needed to stick long after the melodies and harmonies fade. But those skills will sharpen in time. For now, enjoy the positivity that this young man's CD offers and keep it close by, since that hustler's spirit combined with the God-fearing one should yield spectacular results in the near future.
By Melody Charles