Dexter Freebish
A Life of Saturdays (Capitol)
Here it is: the first national work by Austin’s Dexter Freebish, who won the much-publicized “John Lennon Songwriting Contest” by netting the votes of heavy hitters like Elton John, Wyclef Jean, and members of the Foo Fighters. What’s so special? Well, the leadoff track “Leaving Town,” the song those esteemed judges based their thumbs-ups on, is certainly a strong and solid piece of songwriting, and its subject is one that hits right at the heart of the college-bound radio crowd: the notion that maybe a change of place will make tomorrow better. Every song here, in fact, is well-crafted, mid-tempo, and concerned with that twentysomething wistfulness toward future possibilities and the passing of time. Examples: “Ain’t gonna look back on yesterday” (“Higher”); “You wonder how you’re gonna make it through the week” (“What Do You See?”); “I don’t know what tomorrow might bring” (“Tomorrow”); “She smokes like there is no tomorrow” (“Falling Down”); “It might get better because it can’t get any worse” (“Wonderland”); “It’s not the end of the world quite yet” (“Spotlight”). Is it any wonder, given such a focus, that the band is named after a roller coaster, or that the pop star (“My Madonna”) whose career embodies eternal semi-youth and fame is Dexter Freebish’s “goddess of her own religion, and I can’t believe she’s mine?”
This article appears in September 29 • 2000.