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Album reviews Music

Freeman Dre & The Kitchen Party – Red Door 2nd Floor

Rating: NNN


It’s a bit of a cliché that singer/songwriter types gravitate to Parkdale, but Freeman Dre (aka Andre Flak) and the Kitchen Party have the capacity to become ambassadors for the ‘hood. The band got its start in Dre’s Parkdale kitchen near the Brock liquor store, a fact that finds its way into a debut album full of dark yet affectionate references to the place and its characters.

Dre’s gritty punk-inspired vocal approach is nothing new, but he has an inviting tone that makes it more compelling. Paying homage to Tom Waits and the Pogues, the Kitchen Party play loose, sensitive folk rock with a European flair, adding touches of accordion, mandolin and dobro to standard guitar, bass, drums and piano. From country punk opener Oak Tree to end-of-the-world singalong Six Hundred Feet to Polish closer Do Widzenia, there’s variety here, suggesting that the neighbourhood boys are ready to take the show on the road.

Top track: Let’s Take The Show On The Road

Freeman Dre & the Kitchen Party play Eastminster United Church as part of Winterfolk on February 19.

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