Eric Harrison shines in a beautiful tribute to two-time Grammy winner John Edward Prine. The New Jersey singer and songwriter released a 5-track EP called Dear John with the “Angel From Montgomery” artist in mind. For Harrison, the idea for the project came at a time when life as everyone knew it changed due to the pandemic.
“I had just started releasing new music and was looking forward to a year of full band shows, which were begrudgingly replaced by solo Facebook sessions from my front porch,” Harrison said. “Amid the madness it was fun to make new virtual friends while playing music, though the digital divide left me a little suspicious. I was in a creative rut, and I need to be writing well to feel legitimate.”
Harrison continued, “Enter my friend and producer Kevin Salem, with whom I traded tips every few days on how to maintain some sense of normalcy in our families’ lives. Mindful of the need to grab the oxygen mask for oneself when the cabin pressure drops, Kevin knew how I loved John so he gave me a simple but daunting assignment — write some John Prine songs.”
Prine led a six-decade career that churned out a roster of popular songs, such as “Illegal Smile,” “Sam Stone,” and “Paradise.” Dubbed the “Mark Twain of modern songwriting,” Prine passed away on April 7, 2020 from complications of COVID-19. Harrison’s homage to Prine released on the second anniversary of Prine’s transition.
“I have never met a casual John Prine fan,” Harrison said. “To know him is to love him, and losing a soul who had brought such comfort, humor and joy to our lives while the plague that took him was knocking at our back door – that was a lot to take.”
Harrison leads vocals on the independent project, while producer Kevin Salem arranges keyboards, drums, guitar, and bass. Other contributors include Simi Stone as a feature on “Cougar Jenny,” Sasha Ostrovksy on lap steel, Michael Arrom on piano for “Hoover Dam”, and John Conte on upright bass for the song “Live Before You Die.”
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Harrison kicks off the EP with “Till You Make Me Home,” where he illustrates his brilliant storytelling capabilities. Then, he picks up the pace in the uptempo, feel-good, and at times, comical duet “Cougar Jenny,” with singer Simi Stone. From the multilayer backing vocals to the synchronization and timing of the instrumentation, Harrison proves that this isn’t his first rodeo.
The retrospective “Hot Teardrops and Cold Compresses” is yet another example of how much Harrison was a student of Prine and American songwriting as he expounds upon the beauty of love and gift of the human experience.
On “Hoover Dam,” Harrison tips the balances of modern country, folk, and Americana in a confident and passionate ode that solidifies his knack for songwriting. Harrison is more than gracious to let the instrumentation breathe midway through the serene, mid-tempo song — a perfect catalyst for the emotional follow-up “Live Before You Die.”
A prayer of solace for the listener, the inspiring lyrics of “Live Before You Die” offers up an invitation to hope, perfectly delivered in a time such as this.
“To write like John Prine is to write with a big heart. I don’t sing like JP and his influence on me may not be obvious, but because these five songs are bound by a conscious effort to write like (and about) him, I felt compelled to release them together,” Harrison said.
Before Harrison started working with Salem as a solo artist, he was a part of the Crash Chorus band, which released their debut album, Breakfast, in 1999. The Garden State Film Festival finalist followed up the album with the 11-track collection, A Little Bit of Sickness, and the 2017 album Mercy Road.
Later, Harrison joined forces with Salem for the album Gratitude, leading with the single “We’ll Take the Morning.” Throughout the pandemic, Harrison continued to work on projects, such as the EP Good Intentions and his social media friendly, Sunday night series “Live from the Porch.”
Dear John is available on Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud, and Apple Music.
