Eric Krasno on Friday began the rollout of his new acoustic album, Wood and Strings, with the release of a stripped-back rendering of one of his signature songs, “Unconditional Love”.
While the three-time Grammy Award-winner is perhaps best known for his work on the electric guitar, Wood and Strings, due out next summer, will strip back the electronics to show off the subtler sides of his artistry as a singer, songwriter, and producer. As Krasno explained of the project, “The album will feature a mix of original compositions and some of my favorite covers. The project will also showcase some of the songs I’ve written for other artists over the years. I loved the idea of creating stripped down versions of these songs featuring all acoustic instruments.”
“I LOVE music technology,” he added, “but I’ve found myself drowning in options in the past few years. Limiting myself to a few instruments has been super liberating and kind of meditative (avoiding screens can be good for the brain too!)”
“Unconditional Love” has remained a constant for Krasno even as his decorated career path and personal life have twisted and turned in recent years. As he explained, “If you’ve seen me live in the past decade you’ve most likely heard this song. It was born in one of my 1st writing sessions with the great Dave Gutter. His daughter Kani Gutter was young at the time and both he and I were going through relationship woes. He tried explain to me the concept of Unconditional Love and his relationship with Kani as this song came together and I nodded and went along because I did love the song but now this song means so much more to me being a dad.”
You can feel that time-won perspective on the acoustic version of “Unconditional Love”. While Krasno has filled the air with this song at major venues around the country with an array of ensembles behind him, the words and message ring truer than ever on this homey rendition—less like a performance for fans than the soundtrack to a gathering with loved ones. Call-and-response backing vocals by James the eighth, Eric’s bandmate in The Assembly, only add to that ambiance, popping in to color the relaxed take like an old friend across the room smiling back at him.
Following Friday night’s release celebration and charity drive for City Pak in Los Angeles, Krasno is set to hit the road this coming week for a five-night, five city Krasno/Moore Project East Coast tour including a Friday, December 15th performance at Brooklyn, NY’s Brooklyn Bowl featuring special guests Jennifer Hartswick, Pedrito Martinez, and the Antibalas horns. For a full list of upcoming Eric Krasno tour dates and ticketing details, head here.
Listen to the acoustic version of “Unconditional Love” by Eric Krasno via the Spotify player below and follow him on social media for more updates on Wood and Strings.
Eric Krasno – “Unconditional Love” (Acoustic)
View this post on Instagram