An independent singer/songwriter from East Texas, Eli Tidmore has already been making a name for himself with his debut album, ‘Chameleon’, released to wide acclaim in 2017. Now he returns with ‘After Hours’, the first single from his forthcoming second album, which is set for release later on this year.
The multi-instrumentalist, who also co-produces his own music, Eli plays most of the instruments on his releases, as well as providing the vocals.
‘After Hours’ is a laid back, jazzy, and soulful piece, with Eli singing and playing piano with the ease of someone who is truly comfortable with himself and confident in his talents. Towards the end of the track his piano is joined by a smooth jazz saxophone, and a bass guitar and clapping rhythms – and occasional quirky keyboard sounds fill out the instrumentation. We balk at the phrase, “easy listening”, but ‘After Hours’ is easy on the ear, so it is an apt phrase. Stylistically he reminds us a lot of Billy Joel, with his mellow vocals and storytelling lyric style clearly inspired by that of Joel, and perhaps more contemporary pianists, such as Tom Odell. Eli deftly blends genres as if they were butter; smooth jazz, soul and pop are combined with ease and in his hands the boundaries are blurred beyond recognition, fashioning his own style. Eli’s vocals are never over-powering, and likewise, the instrumentation is just-so; credit to not only his musical talent but also his skill as a producer.
Eli Tidmore’s previous album, ‘Chameleon’, was nominated in four separate categories at the ETX Music Awards, including Album Of The Year. We have no doubt that his forthcoming release should do equally as well – if not better – and that this is only the start of what is to come from Mr Tidmore.
You can find Eli Tidmore online on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Stream and download his music from SoundCloud, Spotify, and YouTube.