Alligator Records artist: Anders Osborne - Three Free Amigos - New Release Review

I just received a copy of the new Anders Osborne EP release, Three Free Amigos. This will be available on Alligator records on February 12. The release opens with Marmalade, a reggae island pop track. This has strong commercial potential and should carry the release on it's own. It's Gonna Be OK is a songwriters song and very reminiscent of Neil Young from his Gold Rush period. It's a simple ballad but it's a well written and executed ballad. Never Is A Real Long Time, another quiet ballad, paints a acoustic photograph of Osborne's thoughts, joined by Maggie Koerne on vocal. This is a cool track. The title track, Three Free Amigos, my favorite track on the release has a freshness offered by new contemporary country music with none of the hype associated with pop music. Osborne is accompanied by bassist Carl Dufrene and drummer Eric Bolivar, Michael Burkhart on Hammond B3 organ, Johnny Sansone on harmonica and accordion and Billy Iuso on acoustic guitar. This is a really pleasing set of primarily acoustic music with a blend of musical styles. I think that it will make a lot of listeners very happy.

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ANDERS OSBORNE TO RELEASE SIX-SONG EP, THREE FREE AMIGOS, ON FEBRUARY 12

ANDERS OSBORNE TO RELEASE SIX-SONG EP, THREE FREE AMIGOS, ON FEBRUARY 12 Guitarist/songwriter/singer Anders Osborne will release Three Free Amigos, his new six-song EP, on Tuesday, February 12. The entire EP will stream exclusively at Relix.com beginning February 1. Three Free Amigos is a semi-acoustic collection of original songs cut in Anders' hometown of New Orleans in a relaxed, easygoing atmosphere, with friends joining him in various combinations, creating true musical magic. According to Osborne, the way this EP was recorded "is not what I usually do. I may never do it again. I wanted to keep it loose and give fans something different." Three Free Amigos, produced by Osborne and Warren Riker, ranges from the road-diary reminiscence of the title track to the Bo Diddley-flavored Jealous Love to the reggae-rocking Marmalade to the warmly philosophical We Move On. Osborne examines love's healing power and strength on It's Gonna Be OK (previously recorded by Theresa Andersson) and offers profoundly simple advice in Never Is A Real Long Time. He is backed on some tracks by his road band -- bassist Carl Dufrene and drummer Eric Bolivar -- and on others he's joined by friends Michael Burkhart on Hammond B3 organ, Johnny Sansone on harmonica and accordion, Billy Iuso on acoustic guitar and Maggie Koerne on background vocals. A few songs from the improvisational recording sessions even feature Osborne playing bass and drums. Osborne released his first full album in 1989, but since the release of his 2010 Alligator Records debut, American Patchwork and his 2012 follow-up, Black Eye Galaxy, he has earned hordes of new fans. He tours virtually non-stop, either with his road-tested trio, as a solo artist, or as a guest with his countless musical admirers, including Toots And The Maytals, Stanton Moore, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Keb Mo, and The Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh. He's appeared on Galactic's song Dark Water from their Ya-Ka-May album, and in 2011 produced and played on critically acclaimed albums by Tab Benoit, Johnny Sansone and Mike Zito. With American Patchwork, Osborne's fame suddenly reached a whole new level. Critics went wild, with OffBeat saying, "The record is a focused and tuneful triumph. Osborne's gifts as a guitar player are significant. His voice is so emotionally intense it feels like an explosion. He writes with remarkable eloquence...this is the living definition of great art." 2012's Black Eye Galaxy raised the bar even higher. USA Today says, "Black Eye Galaxy contains fiery anthems and dark confessional songs punctuated with incessant, penetrating guitar runs. It sounds like a cry of thanks from a rescued man." OffBeat magazine named Osborne the Crescent City's Best Roots Rock Artist and declared him the city's Best Guitarist for 2010 and 2011. The magazine recently nominated him for seven 2012 awards, including Best Guitarist, Best Songwriter, Song Of The Year (for Louisiana Gold) and Album Of The Year (for Black Eye Galaxy). Guitar Player calls him "the poet laureate of Louisiana's fertile roots music scene." ### www.ALLIGATOR.com