By: Julia K. - February 12, 2012
From Dallas, Texas, Eric Crawley is an independent singer/songwriter and producer who creates unique R&B tracks with pop influences. He writes music that connects with his audience and encourages them to grow alongside him on his musical journey. He takes influence from artists such as Michael Jackson, Prince, and Frank Ocean to produce his full sound. Eric Crawley’s EP “MP3” took inspiration from his first album, “Emotional Jukebox”, and features three of the songs from the original album. With the help producer, Amorphus, the songs were taken from a different perspective and redone with a twist prior to redistribution. Eric Crawley’s recent release “Lick” from his new EP, “MP3” is a powerful R&B track with memorable and passionate lyrics. Eric has a deep, growl-like voice that introduces the first verse.
Eric sings about complicated love and the deeper layers of desire. The melody is slow and repetitive and is balanced out nicely by a strong beat. Eric Crawley’s vocals have a soothing and warm tone to them, reminiscent of the vocal stylings of The Weeknd. The vocals fade at the end, but softer notes reappear to give the song a slow and subtle conclusion. "Lick" is a definite song for your feel-good playlists.
Stream "Lick" here.
Thanks for chatting with us at BuzzMusic, Eric Crawley! You had such a unique idea to repurpose the songs from “Emotional Jukebox” and give them a whole new perspective. How did you come up with the idea, and what were some of the things you changed from the original tracks?
The idea was to intentionally give some of the former material a newer identity with different production and change of overall vibes. I like to listen to songs with my eyes closed because I want to truly zone out into space it took to create it and to travel sonically where it will allow me. I do this a lot not only with my material but with a few other artists that truly have profound works. My favorite time to do this is when I’m on a plane above the clouds, listening to my favorite song ever “Should I Go” by Brandy. Before the title MP3 was thought of, I knew I wanted the concept of the overall sound to play off sexy fantasy robot which could lean towards my song “Lick”, a moody but chill vibe like “Respond”, and a rich production with heavy drums for “Anymore”. I redid some of the vocals to match the new production pieces created for each song. I consider it like going back to an old journal entry and seeing the potential to re-explain it better.
Your EP “MP3” also displays the idea that love is becoming more and more digital. How do you view love, and how is this idea portrayed in your songs?
I view love as being a shape that constantly shifts which solely depends on the heart it lives in. Whether good or bad love can be described in so many ways. I would like to describe the love I know as being light and gentle in every which way it can be displayed and or felt. Now, because of social media and several different apps, it’s almost like putting your heart inside of a vending machine. Not to say there aren’t good chances of finding love that way but it’s more chances for it to fail because of those outlets. I could go deeper but this would become a magazine then lol. I try with every song I write to share different perspectives of love that could be relatable. Whatever the situation someone is going through or an emotion they may want to experience through song, they could play a song of mine and feel it at that moment.
How has your music evolved from when you first began producing? Do you prefer co-producing on your own tracks, like with “MP3” and Amorphous? My music has evolved greatly. The process in itself is always that... a process (lol) but gets better and better with time. Working with Amorphous is truly fun and an amazing partnership. He allows me to express myself and ideas then he takes those notes and does his magic. His ear for music is truly a gift. Co-producing is definitely something I can see myself doing more because I can concentrate more on the writing and laying of vocals. This is just the beginning of our partnership and we are excited to work on more records in the future. I hype him up anytime I can and I know he will become major soon. At the end of the day, it’s all about sharing your light. You won’t lose yours if you share it. So please be on the lookout for him as well.
What challenges have you come across when it comes to creating this new EP? What have you learned from this process of rerecording old songs?
The only challenge I can think of which any artist can relate to is working on a record and somehow all of the files are gone. I re-recorded I believe “Respond”, and when I thought I saved the session - the files went missing. I was so hurt (and this is not the first time this has happened), but I ended up having to re-re-record the vocals again. At that point, I was saving every little file as I went back up. I believe it was some automatic update that interfered with my recording program. I can’t stress enough how much it hurt to start over but I’ve learned back then if you love and believe in it - put the work in! What can we expect to see next from you? I plan to get back into modeling again (fashion/fitness). I will be posting more on my youtube channel. And hopefully, begin recording my next musical project. FUN FACT: I appeared on CBS’s “Let’s Make A Deal” (episode January 3, 2020) w/ Wayne Brady. It was an incredible experience and coincidentally won a music room and Grammy package. I dressed up as the rapper, Tyler the Creator’s alter-ego IGOR (with the blonde wig). I will never forget such an exciting time on the show.