Track listing: Homeland of the Free

"Homeland of the Free" is one of a slew of singles DC-based duo Waking Stone is in the midst of releasing. The married couple of Jim and Ashley Cash have forged their music careers and paid their dues for years, now embarking on a journey of releasing a new song every 4-6 weeks to get things moving with their current project together, Waking Stone.

Homeland of the free; Proudly hail, but don’t take a knee; A mother cries her child can’t breathe; Whitewash the truth of our history

"Homeland of the Free" takes on a bit of the tone of Springsteen's "Born in the USA," where at first glance you get the feeling it's an unabashedly pro-U.S. anthem. But in each verse, with quick read-through of the lyrics, you quickly see that the song is more of a critical/objective take on our country's history and political narrative.

Instrumentally, "Homeland of the Free" is a straight-forward mid-tempo rocker--very Neil Young in its genre-true arrangement. With a fairly traditional and safe arrangement and instrumentation squared away, the song allows vocalist Ashley Cash to absolutely soar. Her range and emotion are undeniable. I'm not going to compare Cash directly to Heart's Ann Wilson (that'd pretty much be blasphemy) but there are certainly moments in the bridge into the outro where she hits some notes that would make the grande dame de Barracuda nod in approval, maybe even with a lil' wink of respect.

This track doesn't feature much in the way of Jim's lead guitar work, which is fine. Not every song needs a scorching guitar solo (don't tell your fave guitarist this, they may get a little ticked off). But his low-end harmony vocals absolutely shape the song, sonically speaking. 

Waking Stone has released an official video for "Homeland of the Free" on their YouTube Channel. Check that out and while you're at it, catch up with all things Waking Stone at wakingstonemusic.com.