Long-time industry veteran Wyatt Easterling has spent a good part of his career as a successful songwriter, producer and as the head of A&R for a major label. But it’s often when those such as Easterling step out of the shadows as artists themselves that true music fans are rewarded. Such is the case with Easterling’s latest effort, Goodbye-Hello, due for release February 25 on his own Phoenix Rising Records. The album features eleven original songs that speak to love and loss, honoring the past, and a changing outlook on life and on the future.
A North Carolina native, Easterling has spent the last 25-plus years in Nashville working on both sides of the music business, most notably as Chief of A&R for Atlantic Records, and in partnering with Miles Copeland (The Police and Sting) at Bugle Publishing Group. He has also collaborated with fellow artists Paul Thorn, Jessi Colter Jennings, and Robby Hecht, and has produced or logged studio time with the likes of Keith Urban, Paul Thorn, Neal McCoy, and John Michael Montgomery. His collaboration with these various artists launched more than two decades of gold and platinum winning releases with Easterling acting as songwriter, producer, executive producer, and session player. In addition to those already mentioned, he has also had songs recorded by Joe Diffie, Billy Joe Royal and Dierks Bentley. In fact, Easterling wrote the chart-topping title track for Bentley’s Modern Day Drifter.
Easterling eventually turned his focus inward, writing and recording his own music. Goodbye-Hello is his latest and most stunning venture: a group of thoughtful, well-wrought songs that he calls his most personal collection of songs to date. Throughout the album, Easterling manages to celebrate the first heady days of love on the track “Brand New Love” and then transitions to “Teach Me How To Say Goodbye,” a song that crystalizes the feelings associated with losing a loved one.
“In the process of writing these songs I discovered, for the umpteenth time, that life is about facing change and embracing it,” said Easterling. “As the new album began to come into focus, it dawned on me that I’d been writing songs about my own transitions.”
Goodbye-Hello follows Easterlings’ critically acclaimed Where This River Goes (2009). And pre-release, Goodbye-Hello is already getting reviews from fans and peers.
“I was delighted to hear that Wyatt stepped back over to the other side of the microphone after years of success as a writer and producer in Nashville,” said Don Dixon, another respected industry vet. “Goodbye-Hello is a peerless collection of songs sung with quiet conviction and effortless style.”
For more information, please visit www.wyatteasterling.com
