• Courtesy
• Kyle Chadburn & the Earthbound Spirits

(Self-released, digital)

Every now and then, you discover that just because you've known about something doesn't mean you actually know it. Take the Rapture, for example. I grew up thinking the concept of God zapping up all His favorite homies to hang in White-Guy Heaven had been around since people were worshiping golden calves. Turns out some bloke named John Nelson Darby came up with the notion of getting beamed up by Scotty only in the 19th century, right around when the Brits started kicking soccer balls.

It just goes to show how a little knowledge can change your perspective. That's something Vermont singer-songwriter and bandleader Kyle Chadburn knows all about.

"The more I search for that nirvana / The more I realize it's here," Chadburn sings on "Something Out of Nothing," from his recently released new record, Free Will Becomes Fate. "And all this talk about the rapture / Is nothing but fairytales and fear."

The theme of cutting through all the bullshit and noise of modern life suffuses the record, adding hidden depth that reveals itself track by track.

• Courtesy
• Kyle Chadburn & the Earthbound Spirits, Free Will Becomes Fate

Based in the Northeast Kingdom, Chadburn has been active in the Vermont music scene for decades. After playing with Americana outfit the Evansville Transit Authority, he went solo in 2017 and in 2022 formed Kyle Chadburn & the Earthbound Spirits, subsequently releasing No Direction, Vol. 1 and No Direction, Vol. 2.

While those were both engaging records, Free Will Becomes Fate is an onion-peel moment for Chadburn and his band. Building on the rock and roll, blues and Americana bedrock of the first two records, Chadburn and company introduce a soulful kind of rock with shades of indie pop to their sound.

To achieve that, Chadburn filled out the ranks of his band. Joining the original lineup of bassist Chris Doncaster, drummer Travis LeBlanc, multi-instrumentalist Rudy Dauth and keyboardist Mike Fried is a powerful horn section composed of locals Chris Peterman, Avery Cooper and Connor Young.

The addition of horns is inspired. As strong as Chadburn's vocals are, with just the right amount of gravel in his tone, it's the horns that elevate the tunes above the simple blues-rock formula. They add a sense of danger — and funk.

The only blemish on an otherwise rock-solid record is that Free Will Becomes Fate traverses some well-trod territory. "Can't Get Through" is a Frankenstein's monster of slapped-together blues-rock clichés, featuring a refrain that sounds a little too similar to "On the Dark Side," the hit song by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band — aka the fictional band Eddie and the Cruisers from the film of the same name.

Chadburn's excellent vocals, the band's powerful and nuanced performances, and crisp production take Free Will Becomes Fate from a middle-of-the-pack record to a funk- and blues-inspired rocker that reveals itself the more you dig in.

Free Will Becomes Fate is available on all major streaming services.