Los Angeles-born musician Gregory Ackerman, who recently settled in Amsterdam, is releasing the first single of many more to come. With the artist’s debut LP, And Friends, arriving in 2018, and the anticipated follow-up, Still Waiting Still, Ackerman has always taken his time with his releases, and that attention to detail shows. The artist’s acoustic-driven folk thrives on Ackerman’s soulful vocals and vulnerable songwriting, carving his own lane in this burgeoning folk scene. After the release of 2024’s Brand New Life EP, which features highlights like the moving “Luckier Still” and downtrodden grooves of “Breaking My Heart,” Ackerman seemingly took a step back to rethink his approach to contemporary folk, and the results of that soul-searching have arrived in the form of “Call Me Crazy.”
Ackerman’s first new piece of music in two years introduces a more robust sound that emphasizes the nuances that make this artist so exciting. “Call Me Crazy” is an incredibly infectious reintroduction to an artist looking to reshape his sound, taking subtle risks that yield tremendous rewards throughout the spirited performance. With lush, distant harmonies that still provide a dynamic impact, splashes of brass that evoke the feeling of psychedelic funk, and intrinsic grooves that hit your spirit like they’re old friends, Ackerman created a sonic world for the listener to get lost in. Every moment of “Call Me Crazy” was approached with an attention to detail that gives this song its ethereal nature, allowing every note sung and melody delivered to reach magical proportions. Ackerman has returned with a new sense of fearlessness and thought-provoking creativity, and “Call Me Crazy” is seemingly just the start of this new era.
