Dan Reeder is a freak. In a world where music is tailored to the listener, tweaked to a demographic, and produced with the masses in mind, Dan Reeder is a freak, and I say that with all the best connotations the word can offer.

What makes Dan Reeder so freaky is that he actually makes music for himself, records it himself in a makeshift studio, uses homemade instruments, and is not afraid to be totally blunt about what irritates him about life. When John Prine heard a demo of songs that eventually became his first album, he signed Reeder to his “Oh Boy” label immediately and released his debut in 2004.

What Prine heard that compelled him to sign Reeder to a label contract was the same honesty, the same irreverence, the same sense of humor that Prine has always embodied.

Now “Oh Boy” has released Reeder’s third album, titled “This New Century,” which continues his streak of brilliantly constructed albums of simple, meaningful, and often hilarious tunes. Reeder hits you right off the bat with “Bitch Nation,” an ode to the apathetic attitude of a current generation, stated succinctly in the lyric “She hears the rumors of famines and wars as she sleeps with the TV on.” This is followed by “James Brown Is Dead and Gone,” which speaks to the inevitable fate we all eventually face, an issue that is addressed several times within the album, most humorously on “Angels May,” which suggests “they may feed you ravioli right out of the can.”

Reeder also addresses everyday truths to which many can relate in songs like “Everybody Wants A Cookie” and the epic “She Won’t Even Blow,” an accapella tune that, well, speaks for itself. All in all, “This New Century” is an honest, amusing, and at times deeply moving effort from a truly great artist not afraid to delve into taboos and truth.

Hear Wildman Steve’s Internet radio station, Internet radio for music lovers 24/7, at wildmansteve.com.