Middle age and sobriety caused Aaron Freeman to split this year from Ween, the deliriously genre-defying cult duo he co-founded 25 years ago. To find his footing as a solo artist, the former Gene Ween’s first tentative step was to release Marvelous Clouds, a covers album featuring 13 songs by Rod McKuen, the 1960s poet and composer.

McKuen’s a crooner often dismissed as schlocky, but Freeman finds the earnest heart – and crushing heartbreak – in gentle ballads like A Man Alone, which could be the record’s theme song. The production on Jean and the title track are by turns lush and spare. Every track is suffused with a melancholy that draws comparisons to some of the best of Ween’s softer material, including the aching Birthday Boy and I Don’t Want It.

Ween devotees felt betrayed when Freeman broke up the band, and they were confused that such an accomplished songwriter opted to record someone else’s tunes. But Marvelous Clouds rewards multiple listens, and provides plenty of hints that Freeman will continue to surprise.