Artist:     Eric Long Looking Up

Album:     Looking Up

Label:     Self-Released

Release Date:     3.27.20

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There’s a lot to like about this. The music is accessible as all get out and there is a real country bluesy vibe throughout. The Short Tempers band backing Long has a lot going on for it, especially drummer Rhyne Erder, who is laying down some perfect tempos and feel to fit these ten tunes. The other, mostly acoustic, instrumentation of mandolin, fiddle, resophonic guitar and string bass gets some augmentation at times from pedal steel, and electric guitar and is very tasty with thoughtful arrangements.

Eric’s voice is strong and has a ring of familiarity to it, at times a bit like John Hiatt’s. Songs that stood out for me were “You Only Love Me When Your HIgh” which reminded me a whole lot of Paul Simon’s “Was A Sunny Day,” “Bully,” that lets the band stretch out and jam and “Hypocrite.” Mr. Long seems to be a story song style of writer, and for as much as I enjoy well crafted story songs, I get more than frustrated when I can only make out about one third of the lyrics, no matter what systems or speakers I vainly try to give it my best listen to. It seems the recording or mixing decisions have placed Eric’s elocution far to the rear of his emoting here. That is not for the lack of the quality of the well-equipped recording studio or the experience of Grammy awarded engineer Oz Fritz, touted in both the liner notes and by the PR department’s one sheet.

—Ken Spooner