Erik Dylan 'Baseball on the Moon'

-Harriett

Kansas native, and current Nashville resident, Erik Dylan made quite the positive impression on critics and music fans alike with his May 2016 release, Heart of a Flatland Boy. Two years later, the singer-songwriter has released his sophomore album, Baseball on the Moon. Produced by Dylan himself, the 13 track country/roots rock collection features electric guitars, drums and flourishes of steel guitar as the vehicle for the delivery of well written, relatable songs.
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The title track, featuring Luke Combs, is a lovely, uplifting lesson on never letting go of your dreams and never letting detractors keep you from aiming high because “your want-to, got-to’s gotta be bigger than your givin’ up.” The theme of hopes and dreams recurs on “Someday” where Dylan, along with Steve Earle, sings of working at the gas station by the interstate, counting the out-of-state license plates and planning his way out.

Stories of small town America are approached with more originality than many have come to expect from modern country music on “Funerals & Football Games” about putting on your game face while coping with hardship and the defiant “Ain’t My Town” which bucks against the stereotypical depictions of rural towns and their people. Erik Dylan is a gifted wordsmith and obviously in touch with grit and perseverance but where Baseball on the Moon shines most brightly is when the writing focuses on the vulnerability of people dealing with what life has offered up. 

“13th Floor” is a gripping, compelling depiction of the place we hide bad luck, our pain, and regrets, or as Dylan says, “the ghosts draggin’ those chains around.” The inevitability of losing your independence to old age is beautifully explored on “When They Take Your Truck” while the persistent chains of racism that continue to enslave us as a nation are boldly confronted on “Color Blind”.   

The final track is as powerful as it is timely. “Honest Work” features the story of a young woman who left her family and came to the United States in search of the same thing that brought our ancestors here - the promise of a better life.  Asking little but the opportunity to do an honest day’s work, she finds herself discouraged by a lack of acceptance even though “She cleans your house and tends your kids and helps you live the life you’re living at half the price/Well ain’t that nice?"

With Baseball on the Moon, Erik Dylan proves he had no intention of falling prey to a sophomore slump. If you haven’t had the opportunity to listen to his music, now would be a good time to catch up. You can get physical copies of his albums at www.erikdylan.com or purchase downloads through itunes or Amazon.             

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