As a producer, record executive, songwriter, singer, and session musician; Wyatt Easterling’s career in the music industry has covered all the bases: you name it he’s done it. Yet the sly and soulful artist’s most consequential talent lies in his heartfelt ability to write amidst a magnificent confessional force alongside sweet and seductive melodies.
Easterling’s new album, From Where I Stand, was started in 2019 and finished throughout the pandemic. While the quality of the album was certainly aided by the extra time and work allowed by the shutting down of the world, this is not just another “Covid album”. Easterling says of the experience:
“The unexpected arrival of Covid 19 struck the world dumb as we knew it and stopped us all in our tracks. If it weren’t for all the suffering and loss of life, I would consider this time a God send that enabled me to experiment with different approaches for these songs.”
The result is an album that is as lush and full sonically as it is lyrically. Colloborating with co-writer and executive producer, Thomas Anderson Bookwalter, engineer Chris Rosser and a plethora of studio musicians allowed Easterling to bring all 10 tracks to their peak. Starting with the title track and first single, Wyatt lets the listener know that he will be bringing them along on an emotional and glaringly human experience. Easterling’s long lauded songwriting chops are on full display, touching on love, loss, moving on, freedom of speech and doing so with an honesty that every listener will latch onto.
Glide is premiering the resounding “Bigger Than Dallas,” (below) which breezes along with a JJ Cale shuffle yet contains some big-hearted melodies that rekindle the emotional strength of Bruce Cockburn and Jackson Browne.
“I wrote this with Paul Jefferson and Porter Howell during a writing session on Music Row. It just felt good, so we kept working on the lyrics until we had it written. I think it’s cool as shit and one of my fan’s favorites. Thomas Anderson produced it with me, we wanted a “Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” vibe, I think we nailed it,” says Easterling.
