It is always tempting to think of Sari Schorr as a free spirit, the sort of woman who might live near a beach on the West Coast, with her dreams, her songs and endless sunshine for company.
Now, I know that’s not the case. She’s from Brooklyn. But you don’t always feel that when she plays these songs. There’s something so carefree about her music, and “Call It Freedom” exemplifies it. Whatever life throws at her, you get the impression she’s going to find her own way through.
“Running Wild” is her third proper solo studio record, and her first since the collaboration with Robin Trower. There’s always been a yin and yang to Schorr’s music, though, and the album has plenty of both.
“Mr. In The Middle” is a glam rocker. Classic Sari, in other words. The sort of thing you’d call “stomping” and people would understand exactly what you meant. Beneath the swagger, however, are two people who can’t quite let each other go. You wonder how much personal experience has gone into it.
The yin to that yang arrives with the title track. “Running Wild”, with its saxophone solo and her incredible voice, changes the mood completely. She can do the full-throttle rock thing, clearly, but there’s so much more here.
She’s a rock ’n’ roller at heart, mind you. “Monday Morning” is a Rolling Stones-style romp, a hymn to living for the weekend, and you suspect she enjoys this sort of thing every bit as much as we do.
But there’s a lot going on beneath the surface. “Man On Fire” offers empathy to someone struggling to make sense of their feelings. “You get drunk to numb the feeling,” she sings, and the harmonies seem to make the confusion real. She gives the words the understanding they need.
There’s such confidence in the music, too. “Cool Hand Rider” has it in abundance, with the organ in particular absolutely brilliant. That assurance carries into much of the second half, where “Elevate” takes the idea that nobody wins unless everybody wins and gives it flesh.
That outlook feels ingrained in what Schorr does. “You can keep your counterfeit opinions,” she sings, with the conviction of someone who knows where she stands. She’s rooted in reality, but she has a way of finding the good in humanity.
“Better Day” carries that hope onwards, while “Afterglow” looks for a silver lining. I hope she’s right. God knows, we could all do with one. And a word for the band here: they’re brilliant throughout, giving these songs the support and space they need.
“Finding My Way” closes things by picking up the pieces and working out where to go next. And it soars. You almost forget how good that voice is until she does something like this.
It takes me back to first seeing her in 2016, around the release of “A Force Of Nature”, the debut Mike Vernon came out of retirement to produce. She’s always been this good. That needs saying.
It doesn’t feel as though she’s been away this long, partly because she’s always on tour, and there’s been a live album along the way too. But “Running Wild” is a great way to welcome herself back: full of confidence, compassion and the freedom to follow wherever the songs lead.
Rating: 8.5/10
