Eric Colville

With "X-Ray Glasses," Eric Colville Band nicely fuses the spirit of the contemporary singer/songwriter with many complimentary genres - traditional adult rock, rockabilly, and Americana. Vocally, the weathered huskiness in Colville's voice remind the listener of Jakob Dylan of Wallflowers fame, although at times you can hear influences of Jack Johnson, John Mayer, and even Tom Petty. Colville stands out as a lyrical force, with no limits to the subject matter. From the playful material of the title track to the solace-driven "Man I Am" and "Remember To Forget," a lasting impression is left. Whether you're listening to the mellow, acoustic "DMMLY" or the rocking guitar solo in the rockabilly-influenced "12 Step Program," the album is well-recorded with no noticeable missteps. "Man I Am" delivers lyrically and musically as the band lays down a beat that makes you want to move while Colville discusses his ambivalence with the angel and demon on his shoulder - "I'm stuck in the middle, mister, can't you see, between the man I am and the one that I'm supposed to be." The closing track, "Doer's Lament," offers a fast-paced, Americana feel with a choir singing the memorable chorus - "Everybody's gonna do everything, but nobody ever does anything." Overall, "X-Ray Eyes" is a winner and anyone who enjoys adult rock and contemporary singer/songwriters should give it a listen.
-Chris and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team - RadioIndy

Eric Colville Band – X-Ray Glasses
2008, Eric Colville

Can you imagine if Evan Dando had the guitar chops and songwriting sensibilities of Mark Knopfler? Well you don’t need to imagine such a combination; you merely need to take a listen to the Eric Colville Band’s X-Ray Glasses. Hailing from the North Shore of Boston, Eric Colville is a songwriter’s songwriter, with smart lyrics, great melodies and a sensibility for great hooks. Oh, and the band is top notch to boot!

12-Step Program is one of my favorites here, an alt-country mover and shaker that you won’t be able to resist. X-Ray Glasses and Picture Us Together are classics. Doer’s Lament is a very Springsteen singing with the Lemonheads moment. It’s the only way I can describe it, and it’s a very fun, catchy song.

Eric Colville knows how to write great songs, and he appears to know how to take the music seriously; himself less so. These are all elemental to a successful musician. He probably deserves much greater name recognition and fame than he’s likely to attain in today’s homogenized radio environment. But those of you in the know can spread the word. He’s the real deal. And X-Ray Glasses is worth your time.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

- Wildy Haskell

X-Ray Glasses
by Eric Colville Band
Independent

Somewhere between Springsteen’s blue collar rock and Mellancamp’s small town folk lies the hook-laden indie rock of the Eric Colville Band. Intense, intelligent, relentlessly accessible, and instantly sing-alongable, X-Ray Glasses reveals Colville as a songwriter who refuses to compartmentalize this music.
The project kicks off with a mournful and mellow, mid-tempo folk-rocker about love lost. Or at least love that may be lost. Or maybe love that might still be rekindled, but you’re not sure if you really want it to be. Either way, it’s hard not to hum along and tap a sympathetic toe. That tune segues intriguingly into a bluesy, vaguely prog-rocker called “1000 Miles” that harks back to the heyday of the Steve Miller Band. “Man I Am” gets down and dirty in boogie territory as Colville wrestles with the eternal conundrum of who we are vs. who we are supposed to do.
The title cut, with its oddly syncopated tom tom thuds and groove-oriented vocals is a school boy’s dream that elevates the art of girl watching to a science. Colville and company does their best Elvis improv on “12 Step Program,” and “Doer’s Lament” gets downright rebellious with licks reminiscent of classic Steely Dan.
Eric Colville Band hails from New England, but you couldn’t tell it from their music. These guys would feel right at home in an Austin, Texas bar.
- Mike Parker - Buddy Hollywood Reviews

Produced and recorded by Matt Ricthey at
Possum Hall Studios in Hampton Falls, NH |
Mastered by Lenny Delorey

X-Ray Glases is a
wonderfully crafted
eight song EP with a
great mix of tracks that
are all very well
balanced. The thing
about Eric Colville is
that he is a splendidly
smart songwriter, and it shows through numerous
occasions.
“DMMLY” is a great example of his lyrical prowess,
and he never appears to miss a beat. An
up-tempo soft rock-sounding track, complete
with harmonica and claps, “DMMLY” carries you
right along with its cheerful guitar strumming
and its strategically placed supporting organ
notes.
While his lyrics aren’t exactly groundbreaking for
the most part, he does find creative ways to
address his themes a la Bob Dylan. An apparent
example of his exceptional skill is a “1000 Miles.”
Along with the catchy drums and guitar, the lyrics
about moving on after a tough relationship stand
out. The guitar solo fits the mood perfectly and
finds a place without being too distracting,
offering a little extra bit of spice.
Taking a different tone is “Remember to Forget,”
with a noticeably simpler theme, though the rhythm
and rhyme stay true to Colville’s formula. But this
EP’s true winner is “X-Ray Glasses,” a catchy,
country jazz-sounding track that could be a fantasy
B.B. King/Bruce Springsteen collaboration. His true
talent shines through the easy to follow lyrics
accompanied by the even easier jazz background.
Eric Colville Band’s X-Ray Glasses goes far beyond
going through the motions; it goes through the
ranges and delivers. (self-released)
-Josh Innocent
www.ericcolville.com - Northeast Performer Magazine

With a band full of New Hampshire musicians, recent Florida transplant Eric Colville burst onto the scene with an album that began down south, but was refined here. Afraid to Dance is a tremendous debut of singer-songwriter acoustic guitar based pop rock songs. I wasn't even finished listening to the first song, "Five Days Over," when I knew this was music and an artist I'd want to hear more of. Colville has a strong mid-range voice that commands attention throughout the ten tracks. His vocal sound is sort of unique. There's a resemblance to The Smithereens' Pat DiNizio, and the lead singer from Del Amitri specifically on "Josephine." Despite a frequent, upbeat full band approach on the album, it's obvious that Colville and his acoustic guitar is the basis to every song. This was proven to me recently as I saw him play two gigs this summer. The first was an acoustic duo with his bass player (a show I booked). The other gig was the Jam Magazine 6th Birthday Bash, which was with a full band. In both instances, the performances were different from each other and involving musicians who were still relatively new to Colville's compositions. Yet, the songs are so good at the core, that no one would ever be able to tell how new the rest of the crew is. Back to the CD, there isn't a single weak spot on it, except maybe my getting tired of "Back to Bed" after the 150th cycle through. "Afraid to Dance" is a great rock-pop tune with a catchy chorus and sing along ease – radio friendly. "Don't Wanna Fall," the album's best, is a tremendous love song that any musician would wish was their own. "View from Above" is a strong mid-tempo number about mortality, and "Someone in the World" is a wonderful contemplative ballad about searching for love. And all the songs in between are just as good. Every now and then someone comes along that turns heads in a matter of minutes and Eric Colville is the latest.
- JAM Music Magazine

CD REVIEW: Eric Colville – “Afraid to Dance” By Stacey Board - 08/28/02 - 01:53 PM EST
“Afraid to Dance” is as much a statement as it is a question to the mirror and to the listener. It's also a really good CD. The title song was a perfect choice, as the songs in this collection play all sides of that metaphorical fence. Colville’s songwriting casts him as sometimes vulnerable, “Don’t Want To Fall”, sometimes confident “Back to Bed”, sometimes adoring, “Angelina”, sometimes full of doubt, “Someone in the World”, and sometimes just turning it around on you, “Afraid to Dance”. Sometimes he’s dancing; sometimes he’s watching the dance. He does both quite well. Colville is not someone trying to impress you by knowing all the answers. Exploring the questions is a more interesting pastime anyway. Especially when it means doing that with Eric’s persuasive way with catchy melodies and grooves. His more up-tempo tunes are the stronger tunes for me personally, but his smooth vocals are a pleasure on every song. He’s found a great producer in Mac Ritchey. The two of them have done a great job with arrangements, and compiled top-notch support players on the record.
- Stacy Board

Eric Colville Ok, this song is just out-of-control great. Seriously, I couldn't stop playing Eric Colville's "Afraid to Dance." Starting off with a super funky, electronic rhythm hook, at first you think this is going to be some dance track, but then Eric's smooth, soulful vocals kick in and this wild rock guitar drops down into the mix, and the next thing you know, you're rocking out. Punctuated with a transcendent, inspirational chorus -- "Did you ever take a chance?/are you afraid to dance?" -- Eric's thoughtful, clever lyrics and unpredictable rhymes are signs of a real rock and roll poet in the making. To pull up two very contemporary influences, I'd say this song would appeal to fans of John Mayer and the Goo Goo Dolls, as it's somewhat of a hybrid of the two, but with stronger blues/funk influences. Not to mention the fact that Eric's backing band kicks total ass and this recording is flawlessly produced. If I heard "Afraid to Dance" on the radio or saw a video on TV, I would want to hear more of Eric's stuff, and that's the test to pass, I think. Absolutely, compulsively listenable. A+.
- Gail Worley - Starpolish