WHO are you on this album?
Who am I on this album? Wow! Well I’m not the same man that I was a few years ago, sometimes not even a few days or hours, so it’s a revealing portrait of who I am at this point in my life and how I’m surviving. I’ve just taken a clean fresh pallet and explained or revealed a little bit of who I am at this time, I’m just sharing how I get through each day. On ‘Spirit and Truth’ I’m just sharing a snapshot of my inner person, the one that has to deal with what’s on the news each day, with what I see and hear on the streets, with what I’m personally walking through each day. It’s not a this is how you should live your life, but just a small glimpse of how I get through the mess of each day. Strange isn’t it, that we live in a world with so many social platforms, that we spend more time talking at each other than with each other.
The songs are bareknuckle honest, the melodies, the instrumentation, the performances, they’re just me being me, no attempt to say or be anyone else, just me. It’s a folk-rock album, seasoned with some blue-eyed gospel, and served up Philly style.
WHAT does this album reveal?
I don’t know that this album has revealed or un-earthed anything that was deep inside of me. But I’m sure it show’s the maturation of my spirit and soul. We can’t help but be changed by the world that surrounds us, so in some sort of way we’re always evolving into someone new along our journey, and I think when we express ourselves artistically it naturally reveals a little bit of that. I think over the last few albums the songwriting has come to a point where it’s not about impressing anybody but more about what’s the best vehicle for the message. So on any given composition it might be the production, arrangement, chordal sequence, the melody, the actual lyric or any other component that could be more complex or simple. So I guess you could say that ‘Spirit and Truth’ reveals just that, the spirit and truth of Eddy Mann the man at this moment in time.
Now that being said, I’m a faithful man, and the Bible in John 4:24 (KJV) tells us that, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” So that for me is a life long journey that is also one of maturation. The songs here reflect that process on a personal level.
WHERE are the influences on this album?
There’s an endless list of influencers on this album. The list includes musicians, painters, poets, composers, studio techs, all creatives, and certainly biblical history. What do you listen to? What do you read? What do you watch? All of these are influencers in our lives. Regardless of what it is that we do, our surroundings are going to influence us in our work. I’m no different, live with me for a day and you’ll see exactly who and what my influences are.
WHEN did this project begin?
The project actually began three years ago. That’s how long it’s been since I released my last worship album. It wasn’t by design, it was just the natural flow of life for me. I don’t usually design conceptual ideas for albums, I prefer to just allow life to lead me down my chosen path to whatever is next. So the real challenge for me is to live with an awareness, to be observant, to be open to where the Spirit leads.
Though the songs were written over a three-year span, the recording actually took place over the past year. Mostly bits and pieces, in between gigs, traveling, and in between life events. This being a solo venture, it was easy for me to duck in and out of the studio at odd times of the day and night. The process took place at my home studio in Philly and in a remote studio that I have in Melbourne Beach Florida.
WHY a worship album now?
Why a worship album now? Why not! If you’re a spiritual person. If you’re someone who uses their faith to deal with the every day occurrences, then there’s never a bad time or wrong time for worship. So that being the case, this album was just a natural occurrence. It was just an experience that I have on a daily basis being documented for others to share. I guess It was just the right time.
Look I’m a singer-songwriter, so at any given time I’m going to sing and or write about what it is that I’m experiencing in life. That includes all aspects of my life. I’m a son, father, husband, musician, and as I said earlier I’m a man of faith, so wherever I find myself at any given moment may inspire me. Writing about my journey from one thing to another is a natural way for me to process my creativity. In this case, at this time, at this point it was the quest to worship in Spirit and Truth.
