Ziggy Alberts is surely one of the hardest-working names in folk music right now — it’s been nearly a year since his fifth album, searching for freedom, was released, and he’s barely slowed down since. Releasing EP after EP, he has graced us with instrumental versions and demos of some of the most beloved songs from this stellar album, and has now dropped a beautiful alternate version of the title track, “searching for freedom.”
It’s a beautifully raw and melodic ukulele version of the song, which features Alberts’s good friend Kim Churchill on ukulele, inspiring Alberts to release this version of the track.
Delicate and intricate, with harmonies colliding with grace over the strummed ukulele chords, this is “searching for freedom” as you’ve never heard it before.
A poignant and personal track on the album in its original form, Alberts recorded it last in his recording sessions for this album. The fact that it has become one of the most beloved tracks on the album is testament to Alberts’s intuitive nature as a songwriter. “This song talks about growth, self-love, trade-offs, nurturing environments, expectations of others, slowing down time, the inner spiritual journey, searching for identity, uncovering the layers of our true nature, breaking out of conditioning, perspective shifts, being present, freeing ourselves from ourselves, healing, realigning self-expectations when they aren’t healthy, seeing yourself for who you truly are, finding peace day-to-day, finding peace on the journey, looking into the unknown with hope, reconnecting with nature, the pursuit of truth,” he said in a statement.
Listen to the beautiful alternative version of “searching for freedom” below.