Tommy & The Dreams - When I Get Free

Tommy & The Dreams

When I Get Free
self-released; 2015

3.6 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

You are wrong if you think Tommy & the Dreams is a doo-wop band from the ‘50s. Tommy Shelton (guitar/vocals/lap steel/harmonica), Tom "Tim" Miller (bass/eys) and Dylan Bales (drums/keys) blend different sub genres of rock on their album When I Get Free. Their music isn’t too far off from the likes of The War on Drugs, Kurt Vile, and Mikal Cronin.

The band is solid. They are the kind of band you hope to hear at a house party or rocking out at the hip bar in the city. The music is genre defining and is certainly well written and enjoyable to listen to.

Up first is a good rocker entitled “Hey Babe.” Waves of reverb washed guitar cover the song as the singer reminded me of Kurt Vile. I was digging the groove and thought the production was on point. The band throws in a couple of engaging time transitions, which is something they pull off on other songs as well. Around the two-minute-mark is where the magic starts to happen. 

The band gets crunchy on “The Same” which contains some bongo action that was thoroughly enjoyed by yours truly. As the album progresses they continue to form a foundation of what they are about and what kind of sound they have.

The songs are catchy especially “Working All Day” which could be a hit now or in the ‘60s; plain and simple solid songwriting and melodies that are pleasant to the ear. The album comes to a close with “She’s Cool” which is arguably the highlight on the album. I just loved the groove on this track - the guitar is wicked. 

Tommy & the Dreams haven’t been around very long but they are off to a good start. Hope to hear more tunes soon.

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