San Francisco singer/songwriter Bob Hillman has entered the second act of a career that began in the late 1990s, was interrupted by ten years of “real jobs,” then resumed in 2016 with the Peter Case-produced Lost Soul. Hillman’s new album, Some of Us Are Free, Some of Us Are Lost, will be released on April 5th, 2019, but we have a taste of what’s to come here.
The concept for Some of Us Are Free, Some of Us Are Lost initially attempted to capture the spirit of the folk-rock masterpieces of the ’60s and ’70s, but the record evolved significantly. The album consists of ten songs and eleven tracks, recorded and mixed in just ten days in an effort to keep the material and ideas fresh. The band came up with their parts quickly and didn’t look back.
“Shiny Silver” came from three inspirations: a writing assignment from Peter Himmelman to write a song based on a recipe for Butterfish (true!), a day at a political rally, and a story about former Secretary of State George Schultz and the Theranos biotech scandal. Ultimately, however, Hillman told Elmore “Shiny Silver” is about illusions. Hillman said:
“Silver hair can be an indicator of experience, but not everyone uses their experience wisely and/or for the greater good; the proverbial ‘silver-tongued devil’ may be trying to deceive you with his eloquence. The singer has some kind of relationship with the main character, and may even look up to him, but also suspects that there’s more to him than meets the eye.”
The album title reflects its themes: self-examination, exploration, searching—but not always finding. Sophisticated lyrics, varied rhythms, and subtle musical interplay keep the ball rolling and hearken back to the original concept.
Learn more about Bob Hillman HERE
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