Eric Hill Band: Press

Eric Hill and Hidden Drive
Head Over Heels
EJH Productions
There is something oddly familiar about Eric Hill's songs. They sound like as if I've heard them before, perhaps a decade or two ago. Of course, that would be impossible since this is only Hill's second record, and it he's only begun releasing material in the past few years. But the deja vu is nagging. It's not that Hill is derivative; despite some similarities in his rough vocals between him and New York legend Lou Reed, he has his own voice, one that is gritty yet compassionate and even romantic at times. Every time I play the CD, I wonder, "Weren't these hits when I was growing up?"

In a parallel universe, Hill has been a rock & roll superstar for more than 20 years. I must've plugged into some kind of multidimensional transmission, my subconscious finding familiarity in the vintage words and chords utilized here. Either that or Hill has found the elusive formula of rock & roll immortalism.

Hill has produced track after track of classic pop; it's almost like a "Greatest Hits" compilation, summarizing a long career that stretches back from the '50s to today. However, it's not. Most people have never heard the title track even though Alan Freed could've spun back in the day, and you could easily imagine Jerry Lee Lewis being spun immediately after.

Too many independent acts follow a pretentious avant-garde blueprint to achieve hipster cred. But wouldn't that go against the idea of being independent in the first place? Hill is following his own muse here - from '60s jangle to '70s country rock - and he doesn't trip over his own ambitions even once. It us the listeners who are left head over heels.
Kyrby Raine

Rating: 9 of 10 Stars
Singer/songwriter Eric Hill specializes in working-class, blue-collar rock & roll that hasn't been heard in decades. That description is often used to categorize the likes of Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp, but Hill's style looks further into the past, drawing upon '50s and '60s rock, folk, blues, and country.If much of what passes for music today can be described as junk food, then "Head Over Heels" is meat and potatoes. This is straight up classic rock & roll without any artsy pretensions whatsoever. Hill seems to be receiving more attention in Europe than in the U.S., which is not surprising considering our fascination with American culture.The title track is a flashback to the '50s with its deep bass groove and shuffling beat. Chris Isaak has established an entire career mining this era; however, Hill has his own take on it, putting more grit onto the bone than sauce on the steak. By "The Night's On Fire," Hill finds his creative strength, utilizing '60s-flavored jangling guitars that fit perfectly with his dry Lou Reed-ish voice. "Knight in Armor" features the LP's finest lyrics as Hill cops a medieval narrative atop layers of ringing riffs a la the Byrds. "The dust of ages is settling down/Upon my horse's bony flanks/And all the sages are in the ground/Lying with those shining ranks," Hill sings, and one can imagine him with his sword aloft, ready for battle. With so many young artists trying to copy each other, Hill's time-spanning take on rock & roll is a breathtaking change of pace.
author: Adam Harrington

"Eric got it right the "First Time"! "Mended Again" is one of many cool songs on his debut CD. Great feeling, I'm sure he will firmly establish his rock sensitivity on many welcoming listeners, nice breath of fresh ’attitude.'"

After listening to tracks on Mended Again, and finding out that Eric was a teacher: "Mon, you were in d'wrong business."