Shuggie Otis is a guitar genius whose talents were not fully recognized until decades after his seminal work was created. Freedom Flight is a gritty, visceral, and organic entity–a collaborative live-in-the-studio experience.

Recorded when he was only 17 years old (!), Freedom Flight seems like the craftsmanship of a veteran because his father, Johnny Otis, nicknamed the “King of Rock’n’Roll” and the “Godfather of Rhythm & Blues”, was at the helm, playing percussion, singing backing vocals, and producing. It was his seasoned experience at the controls which gives this album such a simultaneously earthy and timeless presence. Its running time is only 38 minutes yet it’s such a lush listening voyage.