Jason Khaw - Freedom Badge

Jason Khaw

Freedom Badge
​self-released; 2022

By Dino DiMuro

Jason Khaw is a singer/songwriter from Melbourne, Australia who has just released his debut album titled Freedom Badge. He calls it “an album of personal stories embedded within musical styles that have shaped my life.” As a live player, Khaw gigs solo on vocals, acoustic guitar and storytelling.

Khaw calls Freedom Badge his “affront to today’s dominant listening behavior.” What he means is that he’s packed lots of different genres (folk, rock, blues, R&B, jazz, funk, classical) and musical tricks into his songs, so if you play just 10 seconds of a song or skip around (SubmitHub style) you’ll miss the good stuff. He explains: “Some of my all time favorite albums were discovered by allowing the album to reveal itself in its own terms and in its own time. I wanted to make Freedom Badge an album that demands that kind of patient attention.” All that said, for myself these songs primarily fall into the acoustic folk blues category, which is also what it says on his Bandcamp page. But there’s a lot of jazz too, so there you go!

Khaw also states that this album was intentionally recorded “organically,” with most backing tracks recorded in one take. He goes so far as to say that the organic way of recording is “the focus of this album. Freedom Badge captures the musical instincts of the musicians. I truly believe that that is when the ‘feel’ of a song is more sincere. And sincerity tends to stick around longer.” Khaw sings and plays guitar and percussion, assisted by the perfectly-named William Base (bass/guitars/percussion), Felix Wong (keyboard) and Andre Ricardo (drums). Mixing was by drummer Andre Ricardo with mastering by Curtis Hatton at Studio Truth.

“Ain’t No Double O Seven” starts in with an interesting structure right out of the gate: a Rickenbacker-sounding bass with funky drums, over which Khaw sing-speaks a hilarious, self-deprecating anthem: “I ain’t no Double O Seven, I got no gun in my vest / I get my martinis from 7-Eleven, I don’t shake it, I just let it rest.” He also says that he doesn’t “use those fancy words” but he’s clearly a talented wordsmith just based on this first track. His background singers (Kit Toh, Karen Silva, Ashley Chelliah, Suzanne Santa Maria and Catherine Chan) have that old-timey Hot Licks feel. 

“Sally and Sunny” is a jazzy pop tune in which Felix Wong’s piano (with more than a taste of Vince Garauldi) carries a lot of the melodic weight, with the guitars, bass and drums all cranking along like a crack studio band. The drums feel centered but somehow have a nice stereo spread at the same time. This is one of those easygoing tracks it’s almost impossible not to be charmed by. 

“Shame on Us” marries a Bo Diddley beat with Leon Russell-like keyboards for a sort of jittery gospel treat. Rather upbeat for the subject matter which concerns how easy it is to pass the buck on the problems we all face: “Bad as it all may seem to be / All the forests with no trees / We don’t see it, we live in the city… shame on us!”

“Here You Are” is an excellent Dylan-inspired folk song with crystalline acoustic guitars and sweet harmonies. “Wonder What” is described by Khaw as “more a demo track than a work of precision.” A demo is the last thing it sounds like to me, as Khaw and bandmates hit every ’50s rock n’ roll-inspired note and drum flourish dead center, with the background singers again providing the sweet glue holding it all together. Jumping ahead, track seven’s “No Bones Thank You” is quite similar, right down to the guitar licks and backing coos.

“Deserving” has that immediately catchy ‘60s pop rock vibe without that sugar-sticky bubblegum taint. It’s an upbeat ode to making the best of the roller coaster existence we call our daily lives. Mostly acoustic guitar, piano, drums and vocals but with just enough electric guitar to beef it up. “Halfway There” starts with two quiet acoustic guitars in dialogue, and for the first time you get a real sense of the intimate studio space where Khaw’s recording. Khaw’s vocal is even more naked and emotional atop this simple bed. That the guitars don’t hit every note exactly right adds to the charm.  A mandolin and string section seem to come in through the back door and are recorded just as “unadorned” as the guitars. “Rock and Roll Blues” is acoustic blues as played by two guitars and Khaw in Chicago Blues mode: a bit of a stretch but he pretty much nails it!

​In the end, I found this album more genre-cohesive than Khaw indicated, but there’s a lot to enjoy here from a highly talented player.

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