Critic's evaluation
On his way to his soon-to-be-released new album, English singer, songwriter and producer Julian Lennon announces his new EP. Contemplating two songs, Freedom / Every Little Moment is the seventh work of unreleased music from the also British philanthropist.
A softened and comfortable sound, but of curiously melancholic notes, engages a growing presence under the fade in effect. The linear notes of Grant Ransom's guitar are accompanied by a sonar of transcendental character that pronounces itself just like an omnipresent character. It is then that a voice with a reflective, socio-analytical tone fits through the melodic lines under construction. Here is Julian Lennon who, alongside the velvety keyboard notes of Tim Ellis, begins to introduce a lyricism that is purely and simply reflective about freedom from the perspective of faith. Freedom speaks of the state of freedom as a universal right, but a right that it is up to individuals to preserve, respect, and enjoy in a conscious way. Even because, as Lennon himself says, "if you let it go, there's only memories left to show, or don't you know". At this point, it is interesting to note that, in Freedom, the singer seems to dialogue with a religious figure or even with his own conscience in an attempt to find answers that will comfort his spirit and indicate the right path.
In echoing and subtly sour riffs, Jultin Clayton's guitar offers, from a sound that vaguely recreates the introductory melody of Before The Lobotomy, Green Day's single, a scenario that is like entering the individual's own consciousness. At the same time, it is as if the gaze reflected a horizon filled with a non-existent belonging, a structural chaos, a debris of sadness and tears. Unlike Freedom, on the present track Lennon presents himself with a tone of indignation whose intent is to shake to create an awareness of reality. "Can't you see the war is over?" he asks as the song finally receives its full instrumental layer. With softness and a curious sensuality promoted by both the full-bodied, juicy bass line and the groove built by Ash Soan's drumming accompanied by the Bill Laurence’s keybord, Every Little Moment has a rhythm that very much recreates the melodic essence of Simply Red by encompassing flirtations with R&B. In Every Little Moment, Lennon seeks to promote, from the perception and feeling of the little things, the notion of beauty, humanity, and humility. He undresses himself from the instruments that impute evil feelings such as anger, hatred, and rage to the emotional, to be graced by the lightness of peace. It is a song that, clearly, was thought in the current context of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Energetic and with the tempo being told by Felix Higginbottom's tambourine, Every Little Moment is a song that screams swing and creates a more commercial guise while offering a series of impactful verses, such as the commanding "courage, get a little courage" and the questioning filled with a sense of disappointment "if living a life is the way that you live, how do you sleep when it's time to forgive?".
Since it is an EP, I would assume that it will be a product of a shorter time and number of tracks than an album. But even as an extended play, the product is even leaner. However, Freedom / Every Little Moment is a work of great reflection, actuality, and urgency.
Now in its second month, the Ukrainian war has left approximately 11 million people homeless and at least 24,000 dead. Not by chance, Lennon intensely discusses freedom and faith while trying to find some remnant of humanity in the essence of the individual. Showing that today's world should be ruled by acceptance, freedom, and peace is the main legacy of the EP.
Governed by an intense need for reflection, Freedom / Every Little Moment blends indie and lo-fi with R&B in a way that brings entertainment and introspection in equal measure. Much of this comes from the mix by Mark "Spike" Stent, who has provided an effective equalization that exudes all the energy needed for a better understanding of the lyrical messages brought in the material.
Another point is to note that the production was signed by the baptism John Charles Julian Lennon himself, which imposes creative freedom and a greater emotional perception of the best way to be followed for the realization of a work that carries the energy and communication idealized during the period of composition.
Released on 04/08/2022 via Music From Another Room, Freedom / Every Little Moment is humanitarian and urgent. Reflective and commercial. It is an EP that aims to awaken a sense of simplicity and of noticing the little things in order to prevail the beauty of life and not the coldness of war.
