Red House Records’ soulful singer/songwriter Cliff Eberhardt will be playing at The Bluebird Cafe on Wednesday, May 30, at 9:00 p.m. Cliff’s intelligent songwriting and captivating live performances have made him a critic’s choice and a fan favorite. He will be featuring songs from his highly acclaimed new release The High Above and the Down Below.
Released on April 10, The High Above and the Down Below is Cliff’s first new recording in five years and features 12 original new songs. On the album he is backed only by a tight jazz combo, allowing his powerful voice and strong guitar playing to shine in a way that they never have before. Showcasing his heavy jazz and pop influences, Cliff reinvents himself on this new collection destined to become a classic.
The High Above and the Down Below has been a long time coming. After spending a few years recovering from a severe car accident, which resulted in two back surgeries and months of physical therapy, Cliff returned to his writing renewed with a fresh perspective on the music he wanted to make.
“I wasn’t trying to write to fit into a specific genre or to please a label or manager or anyone else but me,” he says. “After my accident, I realized it’s not about where you are going but where you are that matters. These songs are about where I am now.”
The opening song The High Above and the Down Below is about just that. “Don’t waste your time on nursery rhymes, try living while you’re here,” Cliff’s bluesy voice cries.
The title track, like the whole album, is about living in the moment. Recorded live in the studio at Wild Sound in Minneapolis, it has an organic feeling that veteran producer and Red House executive Eric Peltoniemi was striving for.
Keeping Cliff’s singing and playing uncluttered by overdubs and harmony vocals, he handpicked some of the Twin Cities’ finest jazz musicians to back Cliff—keyboardist Rich Dworsky (Al Jarreau, A Prairie Home Companion), bassist Gordy Johnson (Maynard Ferguson, Chuck Mangione) and drummer J.T. Bates (Michel Portal). The group had such immediate chemistry that the tracks were laid down in a week, many in just one take. The results are The High Above and the Down Below , the album that fans have been waiting for and the one Cliff has always wanted to make. From the melancholy notes of “The Right Words” to the sweet optimism of “After the Rain Falls,” the record is a timeless collection of songs that speak to everyone no matter where they are on the unpredictable highway of life.
For more information, call The Bluebird Cafe at 615-383-1461 or visit http://www.bluebirdcafe.com.
