Eric Hutchinson: A musical look at the before and after

Eric Hutchinson:

A musical look at the before and after

Eric Hutchinson is an international platinumselling singer, songwriter and seasoned touring artist. He has performed in all 50 states and has shared the stage with acts such as Jason Mraz, Amos Lee, Ingrid Michaelson, O.A.R. and Michael Franti. His single “Rock & Roll” earned him his first gold record in the US and became a #1 hit in several countries.

The past year has taken away so much from every one of us, and yet, we’ve all found moments of inspiration and hope in the midst of our grieving. The dichotomy is not unfamiliar to Hutchinson and his family, who had their own experience with the highs and lows that life can hand us… his wife, Jill, lost her mother to cancer just days before the couple learned that they would be having a baby girl. “I felt an overwhelming sense of inspiration,” he shares. “I wanted to capture all the positivity and love inside of me, and make something I could show my daughter later.”

The result is Before & After Life, a complex, introspective and jazz-tinged record that weighs happiness against sadness and was written and recorded in the days leading up to the birth of his daughter, Zelda. The work is a reflection about birth, life and parenthood, and goes on to explore the feelings associated with the loss of life, and what may be after.

To help shape his latest project, Hutchinson recruited an entirely new band, an elite group of some of New York City’s finest jazz musicians. The opening track, “The Best Part,” sets the tone with a joyous melody, vibrant horns, a dancing piano and a warm-hearted groove. “Right Where I’m Supposed to Be” finds the singer recounting the trials and tribulations of his own life, before finding peace as a parent.

To complete the recording, the emotional centerpiece of Hutchinson’s latest offering is “Born in the Dark” – a somber, rich and contemplative dive into the beyond. He wrote the song as he was trying to pinpoint where the circle of life end and begins again. The track is a slow meditative burn that eventually evolves into a cascading makeshift- Afrobeat.

Taken as a whole, Before & After Life arrives as Hutchinson’s most introspective yet inspired work, one that will surely resonate and surprise longtime fans of the singer’s pop-soul hits. Take a listen and find him online at EricHutchinson.com

or @EricHutchinson.