Aaron Freeman, half of Ween (Gene), always offered a diverse array of explorations— musically and lyrically. It isn’t surprising, then, that FREEMAN opens with what is perhaps rock’s most in-your-face confessional in “Covert Discretion.” With kiss-off lyrics, Freeman announces this is a coming-to-terms affair as he shakes off the demons acquired by a drug-addled past. Clean again, Freeman’s in great form, even as the lyrics troll the murkiest bottom of his soul. Freeman continually asks for help, yet the joyous release of salvation is musically evident. There’s a classic heavy folk-rock outpouring in the sadly personal “(For A While) I Couldn’t Play My Guitar Like a Man” and the mystic, Middle East-leaning “El Shaddai.” “Black Bush” is a lost folk-psych classic, while “Gimme One More” goes sludgy power rocker. “Delicate Green” breathes sweetness and air. FREEMAN welcomes Freeman back into the fold—and none too soon.