Eric Bachmann has been sharing pain, heartache, love, and the other essential elements of life for over two decades as a member of indie rockers Archers of Loaf, and then Americana icons Crooked Fingers. Eric is a fine musician and possesses a raspy, care worn vocal instrument that seems to be constructed of whisky-soaked velvet. But the essential genius of the man is his ability to open his soul, with no apparent filter, and describe the reality therein with a turn of phrase that makes it meaningful and memorable. Or to put it another way, the man is a treasure of a songwriter. And his journey continues with his new self-titled album.
What Eric Bachmann offers us is the artist's personal perspective on love, personal relationships, and a bit of political-social observation. The pace is unhurried, but not languid, and several songs, including "Carolina", "Mercy", "Separation Fright", and my current favorite, the closing "The Old Temptation" take flight with soaring instrumental contributions and appealing background vocals. Eric always has had the ability to expose his own raw nerves without demanding pity, but on this outing the nerves are less exposed, and the viewpoint is more both more accepting and more understanding of what life is capable of delivering. The musical touchstone is alt country, singer songwriter, but Eric is too singular of talent to be easily categorized, and his cast of supporting players are talented and versatile. Our view is that Eric Bachmann is to be celebrated in all of his musical incarnations, but whether you are an old fan or a newbie looking for a place to start, we urge you to dive into Eric Bachmann.
Eric Bachmann is out Friday, March 25, via Merge Records.
Website
Merge Records page for album
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