Today singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson unleashes a brand-new EP titled ‘Sing Along!’ The EP features six brand new Folk fueled gospel inspired protest tracks. The heartening songs are inspired by the BLM movement and brings focus on inclusivity intolerance that was influenced by artists such as the queen of rock and roll herself, Sister Rosetta Tharpe as well as Elizabeth Cotton, and Alan Lomax, with a bit of Woody Guthrie.
Eric talks a bit more about what created the spark for this EP by saying:
I felt very changed by living through the last few years and I wanted to write about it. These songs are more inclusive and I loved getting to sing as part of a group instead of just as an individual. In the end, my songwriting has always been asking “why?”. These new songs are a deepening of asking why but are also hopefully uplifting and inspiring. I also think they’re super fun.
For this 8th studio release, Eric would bring together a group of musicians that would then go on to perform and record this project live in studio. The EP features Clyde Lawrence on keys, Ian Allison on bass, Jimmy Coleman on percussion and Wayne Tucker on trumpet, plus vocalists Caleb Hawley, Melanie Nyema, and Veronica Frommer-Stewart.
Warmth was brought to this EP which was recorded in New York City Lower East Side, in the middle of a Blizzard. Eric spoke more about working in a live studio environment by adding:
“I was determined to make the album totally live and with no headphones. Just musicians in a room, making music together. A very antique idea these days.” I loved the idea of setting up a few microphones and recording something live and true – with no edits, no tricks, and nowhere to hide as a songwriter and a performer.”
Eric hopes this release can bring awareness for others to notice the community around them and says:
“I don’t claim to have the answers and I know that my music won’t solve our problems,” “But I am hopeful these songs will lift the listener, and invite the listener to celebrate diversity, look around at the injustices currently present in life, and question how he, she or they might make even the smallest difference in the name of good.
Not only is the EP filled with uplifting and inspiring tracks of inclusivity, but there is also a great track that focuses on the seriousness of climate change. On a personal note, ‘Pick Up The Pace’ hits home for me, as in the past week my home state experienced a devastating ‘thousand year’ flood.
An event which normally would be so rare, that it has a 0.1% chance of happening. This came 48 hours after another thousand-year flood had occurred. Our meteorologists are saying it is going to become more common, as the earth continues to warm.
You can check out the EP now on major streaming platforms.
