Micki Free: Dreamcatcher Review

You’ve all likely heard Micki Free’s music, probably without realizing it was him. In the last century, he was part of Shalamar when they contributed to the Beverly Hills Cop and Footloose soundtracks.

Fast forward to 2025, and this EP, seven tracks in total, six songs with the last being a live version of the lead track “Dreamcatcher,” serves as the follow-up to the excellent Turquoise Blue.

The players on this EP include Ray Greene (vocals), Cindy Blackman Santana (drums), Benny Rietveld and Rhonda Smith (bass), and Mark Leach (Hammond organ). Micki handles all the guitars and Native American flute, as well as most of the vocals.

As this is an EP, and only two songs run over five minutes, it’s quite a short listen. It kicks off with a nice bluesy formula and some tasteful guitar work on the standout track, “When the Devil’s at Your Door.”

I found myself trying to pinpoint which guitarist Free was channeling on each track. “Sweet Honey,” the next song, definitely echoes Kravitz, just without the big riff.

“Dreamcatcher,” both the title track and its live counterpart, brings yet another change in tempo and style. An instrumental featuring Free on Native American flute, it feels like it’s searching for a film or TV soundtrack to belong to. It’s not unpleasant, but I found myself wanting it to wrap up so I could get back to something with more structure and less of a jam feel.

“Nightcrawler” could easily be mistaken for something from his time playing with Prince, again, enjoyable, but in need of a hook to make it truly memorable. On repeat listens, it simply feels familiar, rather than essential.

The penultimate track, “We Are One,” is yet another stylistic shift . It’s full of good intentions and camaraderie, but it’s lacking in hooks and sing-along power.

Free is chameleon-like in his guitar playing, able to channel everyone from Santana to Kravitz, but the songs don’t gel as a cohesive group. It feels more like an over-organized jam session that’s been released. I’m sure these tracks work better in a live setting, but on record, they’re not especially memorable.

The Review: 7/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Nightcrawler
– We Are On
– Dreamcatcher
– When the Devil’s at Your Door

The Big Hit

– When the Devil’s at Your Door