By Andrew Ellis, Editor

The title song “Free” on Elizabeth Keeney‘s debut album is in reference to a feeling and a dream. The feeling was the freeing feeling she with each song she wrote for the album.

“My goal going into this album was to have songs that were originals and authentically me,” she says.

No More Hiding

The dream part came from her inspiration for the title song. She had thought about all the times she and everyone else have had to hide their true feelings, whether it be for a certain someone or anything else. Her thought: what if we didn’t care?

“I was thinking how great it would be to simply be free from worry and doubts and live my own life, my way, not worrying what others would think,” she says. “I still have a way to go with this freedom, but wouldn’t it be amazing?”

Gratitude and Anger

When you listen to the songs you can sense the freedom. It ranges a wide spectrum of emotions. The opener “Hero” was written as a letter of love and gratitude for her dad, who has been a constant source of support for her.

“I am not always the best with professing my gratitude and love for him,” she says. “So I thought, ‘What better way to show him I love him that with a song.’”

There’s also “Enough Angels” which was her releasing some anger after losing a co-worker. Shortly after, she lost her grandmother and it seemed tragedy just kept filling up the world.

“I remember saying to my mom, ‘Doesn’t God have enough angel’s for now?’” she says. “It seemed that all I was hearing was ‘God gained another angel today,’ and I (selfishly) wanted them here, with me, not God.”

Humor and Hidden Battles

She takes a dip into social commentary on “Unfriended” where she talks about how people use social media. Then there’s her favorite song off the album, “She Got It All.” She calls it the one of the saddest on the album.

“It shows how no one really has it all, even if she looks like she’s all put together,” she says. “She may have it all, but I made a play on those words by displaying all the not-so-great things that someone may be going through without anyone else realizing.”

A Little Help From a Guitar Slinger

She got a lot of help making these songs come to life, too. She enlisted producing help from one of the local music scene’s most well known musicians, Bronson Bergeson. He was able to enlist in the scene’s top talents for the record. She says he was very encouraging and was crucial in taking her songs to the next level.

“I had ideas on how I wanted them to sound, and he would play an alternate chord progression, or chorus,” she says. “And it just opened my eyes to some variety to my songs, so they didn’t all sound the same.”

Looking For a Connection

It’s an album of songs where she reveals herself and hopes others can connect with them, too.

“I hope fans see the vulnerability of people,” she says. “And feel something with one, or more than one, of the songs.”