All songs written by John Hiatt - So Not That Music (BMI)
Produced and Mixed by Kevin McKendree
Engineered by Yates McKendree
Recorded at The Rock House in Franklin, TN
Mastered by Jim Demain at Yes Master Studios in Nashville, TN
Cover Design: Jordan Fann, Vector Management
Photo of Earth taken August 21, 2017 by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and used courtesy of NASA / GSFC / Arizona State University
Package Design: Jeremy Fetzer
Photography: David McClister
Management: Vector Management, Ken Levitan
Thanks to my wife Nance and my family. Thanks to all at Vector Management. Thanks to all at ICM. Thanks to all at FBMM. Thanks to everyone for listening.
For my sister Susie Wagner
Promovideo's
John Hiatt - "Over The Hill" [Official Video]
John Hiatt - "Cry To Me" [Official Video]
Press sheet
John Hiatt is set to return with The Eclipse Sessions on October 12th, 2018 via New West Records. The 11-track set is the Grammy nominated legend’s first new album in four years. It was produced by Kevin McKendree (Delbert McClinton) and features Hiatt’s longtime drummer Kenneth Blevins and bassist Patrick O’Hearn, as well as Yates McKendree (Kevin’s 17-year old wunderkind son, who also engineered). Hiatt places The Eclipse Sessions in a lineage alongside two of his greatest works -- 1987’s mainstream breakthrough Bring the Family, which sprung from an impulsive four-day session with an all-star combo led by Ry Cooder, and 2000’s Crossing Muddy Waters, an unplanned and largely unplugged effort that garnered a Grammy Award nomination and also set Hiatt on the rootsier path he’s still pursuing today. “The three albums are very connected in my mind,” Hiatt says. “They all have a vibe to them that was unexpected. I didn’t know where I was going when I started out on any of them. And each one wound up being a pleasant surprise.”
Since the release of Hiatt’s 1974 debut, Hangin’ Around the Observatory, rarely has more than a year or two passed without a new collection hitting the shelves. But after wrapping up a year of touring in support of 2014’s Terms of My Surrender -- the singer-songwriter’s 22nd studio effort overall -- he found himself, for the first time in a long time, unsure of what would come next. “I’ve been lost before,” Hiatt says. “Although usually I have some sort of notion or clue where to go. But this time? I had no sense whatsoever.” He continues, “I wanted to spend more time with my family (which includes his critically acclaimed singer-songwriter daughter Lilly). I was aging, with all that entails or doesn’t entail. Stuff was just happening.” During this period of transition Hiatt did compose a new song that closes The Eclipse Sessions - a dusty, road-worn meditation titled “Robber’s Highway” with the ominously prophetic lyrics “I had words, chords and strings / now I don’t have any of these things.” Hiatt explains, “I was just thinking in terms of somebody who’s out there hammerin’ away with his music, wondering what it’s all coming to. And maybe the songs just aren’t there anymore…” Fast-forward a few years, however, and it’s clear the songs are still very much there as the 11 tracks presented here demonstrate that the singer-songwriter, now 66-years-old, is only getting better with age, his guitar playing more rugged and rootsy, his words wiser and more wry.
True to its title, Hiatt and his band were hard at work on August 21st, 2017 when a solar eclipse traveled the length of the continental U.S. “I think we recorded three songs that day, and then we took a break to go outside and watch everything happen,” Hiatt says. What he observed amongst his fellow Nashvillians during that moment of totality -- his city was one of a few spots in the U.S. to be plunged into near complete darkness -- did give him pause. “It seemed everything stopped for a minute or two,” he says. “It was like a magical little bit of time, a harmonic convergence or something. Like everybody was on the same page.”
There’s a grit to these songs -- a craggy, perfectly-imperfect quality that colors every aspect of the performances, right down to Hiatt’s vocals, which are quite possibly his most raw and expressive to date.
The Eclipse Sessions will be available across digital platforms, compact disc, vinyl, as well as a limited split metallic & white vinyl edition available at Independent Retailers. John Hiatt’s The Eclipse Sessions is available for pre-order now via NEW WEST RECORDS.
John Hiatt’s songs have been recorded by Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Iggy Pop, Rosanne Cash, Eric Clapton & B.B. King, and countless others. He has received his own star on Nashville’s Walk of Fame, the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting, and has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
allmusic.com
John Hiatt's best work often comes when he seems to be looking inward and baring a bit of his soul, as he did on his 1987 masterpiece, Bring the Family. Of course, most folks have only so many demons to reveal to their public, and by all accounts Hiatt is far from the reprobate he was in his younger days. But he seems to remember the long shadows of his past with clarity, and on 2018's The Eclipse Sessions, he appears to be taking a look into the more unforgiving parts of his nature and trying to make sense of it all. "Poor Imitation of God" and "Nothing in My Heart" are plainspoken meditations on his failings as a partner and as a man, "Over the Hill" has less to do with age than his distance from the people in his life, "Hide Your Tears" contemplates the pain that comes from his misdeeds, and "Robber's Highway" is sung in the voice of a man at the end of his life with more regrets than blessings to show for a life spent on the road. Only Hiatt can know just how autobiographical any of these tunes may be, but even if they're all fiction, The Eclipse Sessions rings true as the work of someone who has been thinking a lot about human frailty and the consequences of the choices we all must make. Hiatt is too smart to pretend he has answers to any of the emotional puzzles he's working in these tunes, but he sounds fearlessly honest as he ponders it all, and the grain in his voice gives the right texture to his contemplative delivery. And the arrangements and production on The Eclipse Sessions are well matched to the material; Hiatt's band (Yates McKendree on guitar, Patrick O'Hearn on bass, Kenneth Blevins on drums, Kevin McKendree on keys) lays a lean but eloquent groove behind his performances, and the audio is rich and clear. One hopes for his sake that John Hiatt's life is happier than The Eclipse Sessions may suggest, but either way he's given us a dark night of the soul that's compelling and beautifully crafted.
Cry to Me
Getting dark and it feels like trouble Heating up just like before an evening rain Tongues so sharp they could burst any bubble Nobody wants to talk about all that pain
They're all having fun playing with your feelings You can't control it, it just breaks your heart Dirty double-crosses done with underhanded dealings When all you ever wanted was a place to start
CHORUS: Come on and cry to me, baby You can even lie to me, baby I'm probably going to let you down, but I swear I won't keep you down I swear I won't keep you down
Memories of Highway 19 they still haunt you Babies on hips and men made out of motorcycle parts Broken windows and blows that taunt you Not one damn thing in the yard that starts
Wonder why love is always looking for its own ghost Or is that just what hurt people do Find the ones who injured them the utmost Practically beg 'em to make their dreams come true
CHORUS
Sometimes something good can come from lying Cause sometimes when they got you so down Something worse can come from crying Cause sometimes they just wanna keep you down
CHORUS
All The Way To The River
Up late with her hollowed out eyes All the way to the river Trying every last trouble on for size All the way to the river
Who knows what she's gonna do All the way to the river Not up to me, not up to you All the way to the river
Fumbling for the keys to her car All the way to the river Empty bottles only go so far All the way to the river
Straight down Broadway, three A.M. All the way to the river She's gone way past calling a friend All the way to the river
CHORUS: All the way to the river Down to the bottom where the catfish moan All the way to the river Dirty Nashville That's her home
Mama don't you worry 'bout me Hmm Scribbled down with a fleur-de-lis Hmm How's she gonna get through this night Hmm How's she ever gonna be alright Hmm
CHORUS
It takes cowardice and courage too All the way to the river To leave this town before you're through All the way to the river
CHORUS
All the way to the river That's her home
Aces Up Your Sleeve
I still turn down the boulevard Thinking I'm coming home to you But I live way down south of town On Indiana Avenue
They say the North side's humming now Big money and big dreams When we lived there, you kept a pair Of aces up your sleeve
The light is bright in the restaurants Where you and he go to be seen But there's no light on the barroom floors Where you swept them all off of their feet
I don't know if our love means anything anymore But it used to make you breathe And it was fair to keep a pair Of aces up your sleeve
My headlights know these old back roads It's a perfect sleight of hand I'm driven through the darkness by The promise I will see again
The queen of hearts has shown her face She wants you to believe You were never meant to have Aces up your sleeve
You were never meant to have Aces up your sleeve
Poor Imitation Of God
CHORUS: I'm a poor imitation of God I'm a poor imitation of God I'm a poor imitation of God I'm a poor imitation of God
I can do The Devil in my sleep All day waiting for my midnight creep If you love me, don't expect a lot I'm a poor imitation of God
CHORUS
I can steal your heart on you Hide it in my walking shoes Leave before the band gets hot I'm a poor imitation of God
CHORUS
I do better, I do better On my own Like a sick dog, like a sick dog Ain't got no home Unto thine image made But on that day the mold was broken I'm afraid
CHORUS
I'm a poor imitation of God Cobras coming outta my eyes Land of a thousand dances and the chances Sharkskin will materialize
I'm a poor imitation of God But there ain't nobody else Can't you see girl, I'm trying to love ya But I can't even love myself
CHORUS
Nothing In My Heart
CHORUS: There's nothing in my heart There's nothing in my heart There's just the darkest part To hide my love away
I keep the memories I keep the memories In a hole dug down so deep To hide my love away
Couldn't find it if you tried Couldn't find it if you tried My tears already cried To hide my love away
You see what you want to see You see what you want to see But there's just enough of me To hide my love away
CHORUS
Why bother with me now Why bother with me now You're the one who showed me how To hide my love away
You wanted the better man You wanted the better man Well, I've done all that I can To hide my love away
Two trains runnin' side by side Two trains runnin' side by side There's a space ten miles wide To hide my love away
CHORUS
No feelings bad or good No feelings bad or good I'd hurt you if I could To hide my love away
No pain and no despair No pain and no despair There's just nothing there To hide my love away
CHORUS
Over The Hill
I'm over the hill under the bridge Still a few peaks and valleys I ain't seen You talk about love I talk about love I don't know any better than to dream I know your father's house it has many rooms I see the young men sweeping up with their brooms
CHORUS: But if you want me, I'm over the hill Yeah, if you want me, I'm over the hill
I'm long in the tooth what can I say I take huge bites of life and I eat the bones The gristle and marrow feeds my soul Gives me the strength to forgive all the sticks and stones And what you see in me you think I see too I didn't get here telling stories for you
CHORUS
I hear a distant cry a tear forms in your eye For the way things might have been We can't look back again No time to fill the cup No time to screw it up We'll have to place our bets On the dog with no regrets
Time won't tell heaven or hell Time just pisses his secrets down the stream You talk about love I talk about love Sometimes I even think we know what we mean
No band of angels bringing peace to the streets We wear the garments and we shuffle our feet If you still want me, I'm over the hill If you still me baby, I'm over the hill
Outrunning My Soul
You're outrunning my soul You're outrunning my soul My life is out of control You're outrunning my soul You're outrunning my soul
You're outrunning my soul You're outrunning my soul You're EZ passing my toll, baby You're outrunning my soul You're outrunning my soul
What's it gonna take to slow you down a little bit What's it gonna take for love of just live with it I can't shake these feelings inside of me I can't fake the man that I'm supposed to be
You're outrunning my soul, baby You're outrunning my soul, baby It's like I'm taking a stroll, baby You're outrunning my soul You're outrunning my soul
You give me a wink passed all understanding Shudders me to think what love might be demanding Wouldn't it be nice to spend some together? Can't we be here now and now not be forever
You're outrunning my soul, baby You're outrunning my soul, baby You're like some special patrol, baby You're outrunning my soul You're outrunning my soul
Shoot the moon and stars out beyond the stratosphere Flesh upon flesh cozy by the fire here Bending to your will in a single arc of light Isn't that enough eternity for one night?
You're outrunning my soul, baby You're outrunning my soul, baby Going nowhere I'm told You're outrunning my soul You're outrunning my soul
You're outrunning my soul, baby You're outrunning my soul, baby It's like I got no control, baby You're outrunning my soul You're outrunning my soul
Hide Your Tears
I don't spend too many days Thinking about my reckless ways Broken hearts rhymes of death Trouble I've brung, pain I've left
All the changes I try to make Like drowning bubbles in a giant wake Coughed from the sea onto dry land Brought to life somehow again
CHORUS: Hide your tears out in plain sight Hide your tears to catch the light Show your tears to all your friends Then go and hide your tears again
Heard a cry through bedroom doors Crashing dreams off distant shores Said everything I shouldn't say Would different matter anyway
The stories I could never tell Of lives and wives and city bells They're all wrapped in my arms so dear Though nothing I have can hold them here
CHORUS
I still fall for it every time Take the cure on my own dime Get up, get knocked down again I ask for five and you give me ten
I broke into the house of love A dimming light my shadow held 'Til shadows held no light to see With all of it surrounding me
CHORUS
I don't spend too many days Thinking about the reckless ways A man tries to outrun his death Or a broken heart runs out of breath
The Odds Of Loving You
Lying I caught you doing it Crying You had to ruin it
I was Up on my high horse Taking notes And naming names
You were Sniffling and snuffling Fogging up your window panes
I rode in on my high horse Ran out like a dog in shame
You Got ways of dealing with me I I don’t like feeling
But you Keep me on the front stove And right before I blow my top You school me me and you cool me Baby, don't you ever stop
CHORUS: Seven nights of Heaven Eleven days of who shot who Seven come eleven I like the odds of loving you
I I like the gravy But you You want to save me
From myself And I keep thinking Of all the nights I spend alone
I'm stubborn and I'm stupid Baby would you please come home
CHORUS
One Stiff Breeze
CHORUS: What's that coming on your mind, you joking? What's that sneaking up behind, you smoking? What's that burnin’ down the line, you stoking’? What's that got you in a bind, you choking?
I can't find you anywhere Stone white skin and fiery hair Think you'd stand out in a crowd With that laugh you laugh out loud
CHORUS
Shadows slip through shifting light 'Til the air is black with night Endless tears and mournful sighs Sure could use your flashlight eyes
CHORUS
All this time we've come across All we've gained and all we've lost Just a little pile of dust One stiff breeze and you've got us
I love you I love you I love you
Robber's Highway
Can't feel the fingers of one hand Last night felt like a three night stand Mouth full of cotton, feet of clay I didn't plan on waking up today
I had heart, wheels and wings Now I don't have any of these things
Come and get me, Jesus I don't know Come and get me cause I can't go
I lost my brothers, I lost my friends Only one way this thing ends Cheap and dirty in a bad motel Wondering what it was you used to do so well
I had words, chords and strings Now I don't have any of these things
Come and get me, Jesus I don't know Come and get me cause I can't go
Shirt and pants, coffee black Open up the shade a crack Fields of cotton, fields of clay Sun going down on the robber’s highway
Winds that whistle, birds that sing I've no understanding of any of these things
Come and get me, Jesus I don't know Come and get me cause I can't go