Only
a few short years ago, singer/songwriter/vocalist Eric Lindell was known only
to a small but enthusiastic group of fans in his native
Northern
California
and his adopted city of
New Orleans
. Once he hit
the national music scene with his 2006 Alligator Records debut, Change In The
Weather, critics and fans around the world celebrated the arrival of a roots
rocker with dozens of unforgettable original songs. His combination of sweet,
blue-eyed soul with groove-laden R&B, swamp pop, funk and blues won him
critical and popular acclaim across the country. As he toured the
U.S.
, his fan base
grew, and before long clubs and festivals were filled with dancing people
singing the words to every song. With his 2007 release, Low On Cash, Rich In
Love, his popularity increased exponentially. A February 2008 appearance on
Late Night With Conan O’Brien put him in front of an audience of millions of
people worldwide. Clubs around the country were experiencing overflow crowds
when Eric performed. The word was out. Eric Lindell had arrived. And
now he’s ready to write the next chapter of his success story with the release
of
Gulf Coast Highway
. According to
Lindell, “Writing and recording the new CD felt natural and easy. It’s a
celebration of my last ten years living here on the
Gulf
Coast
. I’m really
happy with it. I took my time and everything just came together. And I love
playing the songs live.”
Recorded
at Balance Studio in
Mandeville
,
Louisiana
,
Gulf Coast
Highway
Gulf Coast Highway
finds Lindell
reaching new performing and songwriting heights. His soul-drenched mix of
roots-rock, sinewy blues, swampy R&B and a hint of honky-tonk soul
permeates each and every song, and have led critics to make comparisons to Van
Morrison and Delbert McClinton. With musical help from some of the
Crescent
City
’s finest
players, including the Galactic rhythm section of Robert Mercurio and Stanton
Moore on some tracks, Lindell has created his most fully realized lyrical and
musical statement yet.
Born
in
San Mateo
,
California
, in 1969,
Lindell spent countless hours in
San
Francisco
, soaking up the musical sounds of the
city, eventually leading him to pick up the bass and then the guitar. Lindell
listened to the music of The Impressions as well as Buddy Guy. He discovered
blues greats Junior Wells, Jimmy Reed and Albert King before drifting toward
the R&B sounds of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, soaking up the soul and
learning how to craft a song. After performing at bars on the West Coast with a
few short-lived bands, Eric formed his own group in 1993 and quickly gained a
loyal
California
audience
thanks to countless performances and many late-night jam sessions. Established
stars like Charlie Musselwhite and Tom Waits attended his gigs, as did crowds
of music fans spilling out of club doors.
Lindell left for
New York
in 1998,
gigging there regularly before heading down to
New Orleans
in 1999,
where he quickly discovered the roots music scene. He gravitated toward the
West Bank
dive bars of
Gretna
and
Algiers
,
Louisiana
, where he
befriended many older swamp pop musicians who helped him get more regular gigs.
Before long he met up with Galactic’s Stanton Moore, and the two jammed together
often. Some of
New Orleans
’ finest
players, including keyboardist Ivan Neville and drummers Harold Brown (War) and
Johnny Vidacovich, often joined him on stage. Galactic bassist Rob Mercurio
began sitting in as well, and word of Lindell’s immense talents quickly spread
around the city. Stars like Branford Marsalis, The Neville Brothers, John
Scofield, Chris Chew (North Mississippi Allstars), and Wally Ingram (David
Lindley, Stockholm Syndrome) began showing up at his gigs and embracing this
fresh
California
kid’s funky
music. According to Lindell, “It’s a great feeling to be recognized for your
music in
New Orleans
.”
Lindell’s
2006 Alligator Records debut, Change In The Weather, delighted and surprised
music fans hungry for a truly original artist. Lindell’s deceptively
simple-sounding songs, laid back grooves and hook-laden melodies were fueled by
guests including Harold Brown, Ivan Neville and Stanton Moore. Critics across
the country went wild, with reviews and features in Relix, OffBeat, The Chicago
Sun-Times, Harp, Guitar Player, Down Beat, The New Yorker, The New York Press
and many other national and regional publications. Singer And Musician magazine
put Eric on the cover and many newspaper entertainment sections did the same.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune said, “With his rich vocals and irresistible
soul, not a moment is wasted. Eric Lindell has arrived.” The Chicago Sun-Times
followed, saying “Soulful original songs fuse R&B, swamp pop and funk into
a potent, party-time mix.”
Radio
responded in kind. The first single, Give It Time, debuted as the #1 Most Added
song on the Radio & Records (R&R) Indicator Chart (and spent 14 weeks
there, peaking at #16), #1 Most Added on the Americana Chart and #2 Most
Added at AAA radio overall. The song was a Top 20 single on Friday Morning
Quarterback’s (FMQB) AAA Chart. In addition, Lindell triumphantly appeared on
the nationally syndicated public radio program Mountain Stage.
The
2007 release of Low On Cash, Rich In Love pushed Lindell farther into the spotlight.
The single Lay Back Down spent 10 weeks on R&R’s AAA Indicator Chart and 11
weeks on FMQB’s Top 50 AAA Tracks. Appearances on Late Night With Conan
O’Brien, his return to Mountain Stage and reviews in USA Today, Relix, Down
Beat, Harp, Living Blues, Blues Revue and many other national and regional
publications solidified Lindell’s stature as an artist who simply could not be
ignored.
Lindell’s
live shows draw as much attention as his material. Fun, funky, high-energy and
set-list free shows keep fans clamoring for more and coming back again and
again. His unstoppable grooves, rocking, deeply rooted, original songs and
excellent musicianship never fail to fill the dance floor. Guitar Player says,
“impressive, super slinky classic blues and rock with a taste of country twang.
Lindell is bound to win over roots music fans for years to come.” The
Philadelphia Inquirer simply called his music, “timeless blue-eyed soul.” The
Boston Herald calls him “a ferocious talent.” With the release of
Gulf Coast
Highway
, and a full slate of tour dates around
the country, Eric Lindell’s talent and soul will shine brightly from the
Gulf
Coast to stages all
over the world.
Eric Lindell
