Eric Bachmann lends a steady hand in a confused world

On his new self-titled solo album, Bachmann offers up his most heartfelt, genuine collection yet, as his penetrating, thoughtful lyrics take honest stock of what he’s learned from his circuitous musical journey and how he feels about his place in this fractious world. These nine spare tracks are stripped bare of the guitar-laden bombast of Bachmann’s early work, in favor of solemn piano strains and soulful backing vocals that provide the mournful, elegiac numbers with some added lustre.

But at the heart of all these songs is Bachmann’s reflective storytelling that deals openly with the false, prideful glory of Southern heritage ("Masters of the Deal"), how we reconcile falling short of the boundless ambition of our childhood ("Dreaming"), and how finding strength in family is ultimately more important than fighting about our differences ("Mercy"). These weighty topics would be too much for most novice songwriters to take on, but in Bachmann’s secure and steady hands these eloquent songs hit home in a meaningful, significant fashion.

“Kill your idols and your fables / Take your weapons off the table / It’s only mercy now that you need in this world,” Bachmann plaintively sings on "Mercy", lyrics that take on added resonance as the United States is embroiled in a rampant gun epidemic as well as insidious election cycle that has divisively split the country in half.

Making sense and meaningful art of the chaos and violence of our harsh modern times is a challenge, but a necessary one – to counteract the ugliness of the headlines with some much needed emotional release and artistic salvation. “Cherish what you can while you are here,” Bachmann wisely instructs both himself and his listeners here. And we can certainly add this gorgeous new album to the list of things that we take warmly to our hearts during these trouble times to help us make some brief sense out of it all.