News, Reviews

Erin Enderlin feels heartache through songs in latest release

by Jessica Blankenship
Erin Enderlin is releasing four EPs throughout 2019. Chapter One: Tonight I Don’t Give a Damn was released April 26, 2019.

Erin Enderlin sings the songs of country music that many women (and sometimes men) could relate to. Her talented songwriting and soulful vocals could be compared to Tammy Wynette when it comes to heartache and pain. You FEEL what she is singing at the time. Granted, if you meet her, you will realize that she is one happy person. These days she is happier knowing that her music idol, Reba McEntire, cut one of her co-written songs, “The Bar’s Getting Lower,” on her newest album. Erin has seen her songs cut by many, but when she sings them herself, it is an unique experience.

One of the most unique ideas that I have heard in a long time is for an artist to create an EP and release 3 videos for the songs for it. This morning, CMT aired 3 videos based on the same character intertwined in a story of the songs on “Chapter One: Tonight I Don’t Give a Damn.” The sounds of a pedal steel guitar can be heard throughout the tunes and you FEEL what the character is experiencing.

You begin with “Broken” (written by Erin Enderlin) as it provides a first-person look into a young woman dealing with a lifetime of abuse and the choices made. In the video, the young lady married young to her teenage sweetheart, who left her broken over the years. One of the most chilling parts is when they have to give up their baby to another because she wanted to make sure that the child lives a better life than her. In the end, the woman packs up her belongs and leaves behind the broken home.

 

The next video is for “Till It’s Gone,” (written by Erin Enderlin, Jim “Moose” Brown, & Jon Randall) and the young lady picks up where she left off in the previous song. She finds herself drinking away in a lonely motel room. For once, she is free away from the abuse she endured. She is moving on in her life to make it her own.

 

The final song, “Tonight I Don’t Give a Damn,” (written by Erin Enderlin, Jim “Moose” Brown, and Jessie Jo Dillon) finds the woman in a bar finding love in liquor and a man. Rather than condemning the woman, you find yourself feeling sorry for her going through a lifetime of heartache. The character in the end is singing directly into the camera as she goes through the story of talking to a stranger, leaving the bar with him, and later leaving him. It makes you wonder where she will turn to next in her life in looking for true love and happiness.

 

For music fans that love this project of 3 songs with videos, Erin Enderlin plans to release a total of four EPs throughout 2019. In a twist that stretches the, possibilities of storytelling through song, each three-track collection will be driven by a single character. “I’m obsessed with characters, and the idea of being able to take that to the next level really appeals to me,” she says. “It’s ambitious.” She pauses and laughs again before adding, “But I do think it’s going to be something very cool.”

Be sure to check out Erin Enderlin at www.erinenderlin.com. You can also check out our interview with her from when she released “Whiskeytown Crier.”