Americana and folk-rock singer/songwriter Roger Street Friedman is doing something rather unique in music: he’s focusing on the positive (or, at least making a serious effort to do so). With his latest single, “Thankful for This Day,” Friedman is appreciating the simple things, and wondering why folks are so damn cynical and unappreciative of the greatest gifts of all: life, and the time granted to live it. This acoustic number sprouting from his latest EP, Love Hope Trust, is yet another lesson in positivity from a collection of tunes Friedman considers “aspirational.” So, does “Thankful for This Day” properly inspire hope and demand an appreciation for the fleeting present?
Yep, and here’s how:
“Thankful for This Day” starts with a clean, subtly warbling electric guitar over layered string accompaniment. And when the verse kicks in, we’re granted an acoustic arpeggio as backbone – it supports Friedman’s comforting voice that implies peace, experience, and perhaps a little remorse (the song is inspired by his teenage daughter and her eventual solo excursion into this regrettably rough little world of ours). And when the pre-chorus occurs, we feel that inkling of sadness; that realization of loss and the hard to swallow acceptance of its necessity; those hardships his daughter may experience without direct guidance or fatherly intervention.
But when the chorus hits, we realize Friedman isn’t grieving the loss of that golden age – he’s appreciating the time granted to live in it. And, to drive home the importance of this relationship, this appreciation, his daughter provides backing vocals during the chorus’s proclamation, “I am thankful for this day.” When we hit the bridge, it follows the song’s recurring structure but trades vocals for an instrumental dialog between acoustic guitar and that returning, warbling, and perhaps-just-in from-the-cavernous-desert electric guitar.
After the bridge, we’re back to the chorus – a stronger chorus with bolder delivery. But when the song hits that final stretch of perhaps less rocky road, it sheds the instrumental layers and exists in a state of restfulness, or acceptance, with acoustic guitar, Friedman’s reassuring voice, and a final, multi-vocal proclamation.
But is it good?
This is music earned and delivered with experience. Perspective. Friedman is a renowned artist on the Americana circuit, and “Thankful for This Day” proves why his honesty and evolving self-awareness are so highly regarded. Recommended.
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BELOW: Listen to Thankful For This Day and connect with his website and social media platforms. Please support Roger Street Friedman by visiting him online, and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing his music, or attending a live show! And, as always, thank you for supporting real music!
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