California-based guitarist/vocalist Joe Mersch's follow up to "The Forbidden Anthems" is entitled Freestyle, and features Mersch's special brand of arty, acoustic folk on thirteen original tracks, and one Turloch O'Carolan song ("Si Bhig, Si Mhor"). Showcasing four instrumentals ("Dr. Blues", "In Pete's Country", "The Sage In Bloom" and "Si Bhig, Si Mhor"), Mersch's guitar commands attention, and his lyrics on the vocal tracks are as poinent as ever. Mersch comments, "Sometimes when asked what kind of music I play, I imagine responding with 'freestyle'. Not a brilliant marketing move, perhaps, but a liberating one. After all, it's no less vague than 'Adult Contemporary' and certainly less cumbersome than 'Acoustic Post-Punk Power-Pop-Folk with Instrumentals'. I don't know a single musician who enjoys self-categorization; I offer 'freestyle' to all of them." Acoustic/Rock/Folk, total running time, 50:52