Singer-songwriter Forrest Hill wasn’t going to make a fifth solo album. As a musician, who had a fruitful “part one” career bisected by domestic bliss, enlightening personal journeys, and a fulfilling career outside of music, he felt satisfied with his “part two” output and was fine to move on. Then COVID-19 hit, his father passed away, and many existential questions came to the surface. His new record, Living On The Edge Of Time, out September 8th, is a lockdown baby, yet it resonates beyond the confines of pandemic panic.
The 12-song record explores some of the deeper psychological demons that can lead to so much personal suffering, as well as the transformative power of love. The album is Forrest’s second collaboration with rocker, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, J. Christopher Thomas and is a follow up to last year’s album, Only Love. The new album is preceded by several singles including the recently released jaunty single, “We’ll Carry On”
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Forrest is known for poetic, story-driven adult alternative that mixes elements of indie folk, americana and rock. Raised on a steady diet of Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Talking Heads, his music explores the terrain of love, loss and the hope of redemption. The online literary magazine Stedkid.com calls his music “dynamic, melodic, and memorable.”
His solo career is something of a happy accident. The story goes that Forrest thought he left music behind when he moved to Northern, California in 2000, after earning a PhD from MIT. Yet, while there, he began playing out at local coffee houses. There, he developed an introspective writing style influenced by his newly-found meditation practice. At the urging of his new wife, Erika, Forrest began recording his first solo album in 2015, ending a 35-year hiatus from the music studio. Since then, he’s released four solo albums. His first two albums spent two months on the college radio music charts. His last album has been his best digital performing album to date, having received over 500,000 streams on Spotify.
In the 1980s, Forrest co-founded the Boston based funk rock band Judy’s Tiny Head (JTH). They released two EPs, including the single “My Car,” which became a local hit in New England and a top 40 song on college radio. Forrest and JTH went on to perform with such acts as the Violent Femmes, Run DMC, Deborah Harry, Paul Young, and Aimee Mann, and work with iconic producers William Garrett (Spotify singles) and Teddy Riley.
The exhilarating Living On The Edge Of Time single, “We’ll Carry On” is a heartfelt anthem that brings together country, folk and americana sounds, with sonic nods to Mumford & Sons, Tom Petty and Garth Brooks. Along with Hill and Thomas, ace drummer Jason Slota (Femi Kuti, The Mountain Goats, John Vanderslice) and bassist Andrew Emer (Bob Weir, Black Slate, John Popper) contribute to the song’s rhythmic bed.
FVMusicblog calls We’ll Carry On “a release with a lot of heart…with charismatic vocal performances, driving instrumentation and relatable!”
“I wrote this song during the pandemic to help my wife and I come to terms with the uncertainty of the times,” says Forrest. It’s a song about resilience, strength, and the power of faith and love. I believe it’s a message we all need right now, especially considering the challenging times we’ve been through.”
