The man who we have affectionally known under the moniker, Gene Ween, has decided to go solo as none other than himself, Aaron Freeman. The original half of the band Ween, has chosen to cover Rod McKuen’s poetry for his début release. Having always referred to Ween as “rock and roll chameleons,” it comes as no surprise to us that Freeman has chosen to challenge himself with a solo project. Do not expect Gene Ween, you will be disappointed. The dreamy, light melodies on Marvelous Clouds are a welcome departure from what we have enjoyed by Ween over the years. You could say that the album is a “personal statement” by Freeman, but we’d rather say that he’s a true artist exploring his options. The instrumentals on the title track to Marvelous Clouds is quite perfectly matched with his vocals, ‘The Beautiful Strangers’ could easily become a theme song in one’s lifetime music diary  (and the guitar solos are pretty sweet, too) and ‘One by One’ conjures up images of joyful experiences in your life.

Rod McKuen, an immensely successful and prolific artist whose work was almost universally dismissed by critics, started setting his lyrics to music in the late sixties and early seventies. Over the years, his songs became hits, having been covered by Perry Como, Petula Clark, Johnny Mathis, and many other artists. His most famous composition, a set of new lyrics for Jacques Brel’s “Le Moribond” that was retitled “Seasons in the Sun” and ultimately became a hit for the Canadian singer, Terry Jacks. Marvelous Clouds (via Partisan), will be released May 8th and is available for presale here. Until then, stream the entire album below.