Division is inevitable. As individuals, we hold our beliefs and experiences in a high regard, which can leave us open to tenuous or outright hostile disagreements among our peers. “Recreate,” the latest album by folk rock singer Eric H.F. Law shines a spotlight on this aspect of humanity through the lens of overcoming hostilities through our shared human experiences.
The title track starts the album off. The deep, low strumming adds a heavy aesthetic to the acoustic guitar but the performance in the intro softens it. It allows the listener to ease into the flow of the track before it steps things up a notch. The robust sound of the guitar creates an excellent base of percussion that is followed up on later in a manner that allows the guitar to embrace a more free-wheeling flow. Around the halfway point, the instrumentals swell up and rise behind the guitar and vocals of Eric H.F. Law to create a wonderful feeling of joyous ascension. This goes hand in hand with the lyrics, illustrated in inspirational lines such as “friends who disagree, and friends who think like me. You may live on country roads or cities by the sea. Come on in and eat, my friends, hope courage and grace. Come dance with me, we’ll recreate a graceful day.” With a dynamic and bouncy beat, “Recreate” starts the album off on a sunny and uplifting note that will leave you smiling.
“Uneasy Glory” follows it up, building off of the themes of the previous track. The echoes of the smooth, serene guitar creates an enticing melody that will make your ears perk up. The track hits hard right before the instrumentals enter their full swing with some high-impact lines that will make emotions run high. After H.F. Law pays tribute to those who’ve lost their lives unjustly in this country by reciting their names in the name of humanistic brotherhood, he delivers reflective and thought-provoking lyrics to follow it up. Lines such as “why keep replaying the same sad story? Bringing our victims an uneasy glory” are powerful and hit hard, especially when accented by the heavy percussion that props it up. “Uneasy Glory” sheds an emotionally powerful light on how we see one another and how intense pain can both overstate and downplay the common humanity that’s shared in all of us.
“Winner-Loser” follows it up. The airy guitars dance gracefully around the groovy bass and poppy synths to create an alluring and carefree instrumental aesthetic. The bass and drums lead the track down a sunny path that occasionally kicks itself up a notch, making it hard to not move to the groove that “Winner-Loser” puts down. With a fun aesthetic, airy guitars and another powerful message of unity, “Winner-Loser” does a great job at keeping the momentum of the album going.
“Slow Me Down” is another stand-out track. The track hits the ground running with a clashing cymbal followed up by some busy percussions that instantly get you moving to their groove. The smooth guitars echo with a smooth, charming riff with an enticing bassline that keeps the song moving with precise bounces that moves with an impressive groove. The upbeat aeshtetic and sunny beats gives the soft voice of Eric H.F. Law to show off how it effortlessly dances with the music to create a moving experience. Lines such as “quiet down, my restless mind, to notice those we’ve left behind. Slow me down, oh love, with your grace” and “slow down my drive to climb the height, slow down my need to be right. Ease the pounding of my heart” hit hard and are weaved into intense moments of instrumental power that Law always rises to meet. “Slow Me Down” is a stand-out track on the album that brings the power of the previous tracks and brings them full force.
Eric H.F. Law’s “Recreate” is an inspiring listen from start to finish. With a focus on a shared humanity, the album is fearless in expressing Law’s feelings on the world and our common brotherhood as human beings. It calls out injustice with a lens of compassionate reflection that gets emotionally tense, but is never a mistreated sentiment which is plainly apparent from the second half of the album. Where tracks such as “Recreate” and “Winner-Loser” are filled with righteous compassion, others such as “Slow Me Down” and “Small Things” are very reflective in nature. It adds up to make “Recreate” a powerful album that deserves at least one listen.
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