Before he became king of the thrift store dollar bins, Rod McKuen was America’s bestselling poet, a model of ‘60s male sensitivity, and a songwriter so respected that Frank Sinatra devoted a whole album to him. As the first major artist to cover his tunes in about 40 years, Freeman (a/k/a Gene Ween) plays it totally straight, even emulating McKuen’s rasp. While there’s definitely camp value here, you’ll seldom find better proof that it’s hip to be square.
