Eric Selby Debuts His New Album “Where You Born At?”
Eric Selby, a sought-after artist and producer and a talented multi-instrumentalist, has come out from behind the drum set and mix board to be out in front as a solo artist. He’s worked with many talented and established musicians and performed at multiple blues festivals and clubs around the United States. Roots Music Report listed Eric’s EP "Do, Baby" in the TOP 50 of their National Top Contemporary Folk Album Chart's "Best of 2020," and his songs "Conversational Snow," "Part of It," "Patiently," " Throw It All Away," "The Old Way," "The First Taste" and "Another Page" all made their Best Singles Chart Of 2020.
He just released an album called Where You Born At which seems to take musical inspiration from U2, Tedeschi and Trucks Band, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd. He says, “Years ago, I was meeting with someone and was quite nervous thinking I wasn't worthy of that person's time. She walked in, smiled and said 'Where you born at?' My anxiety melted. It was a reminder that we're all just humans trying to navigate this mortal coil."
The album hosts 9 tracks, each more unique than the last. He gives us many versions of rock and makes us think about what rock music really is. You get the magical, mystical, and fantastical sounds in “The Lean Years” and “Pavlov’s Demons” to folksy rock and gospel like sounds in “Orbit” and “I’m Good with that.” He even gives his interpretation of pop rock in “Anxious Zen” and “Another Page.”
Each song brings something different to the table, but “The Lean Years” and “Anxious Zen” are by far the most intriguing and raw. “The Lean Years” boasts of a 70’s and 80’s vibe with the mystical sounds of the electric piano, chimes, and accordion-like solos. It starts with what sounds to be eastern inspired singing and leads into his soulful vocals. It’s a song about moving forward, about the future. He sings “Travel lightly moving mountains, heavy loads will weigh you down,” emphasizing that while you are never alone, it’s important to put yourself first, to persevere and push through no matter how hard it is.
“Anxious Zen” is his most relatable and sensitive song. It’s more pop rock with a fast and catchy beat and employs acoustic sounds giving it a 90’s vibe. It’s about a fictional “her” who is “always in her head” and who “dances with her anxious zen.” It’s about how anxiety has become who she is, how she talks, how she copes, and how she lives her life. It’s hard for her to separate herself from her anxiety because that’s all she knows.
Eric Selby knows rock inside and out. It’s clear when you listen to Where You Born At? that he’s passionate about music and understands what he’s doing. He is his truest self when he’s playing music. We are glad he went solo and came out from behind the drums to give us his unique and entrancing sound. His album is out now on spotify.