In a pop musical climate dominated by performers that are auditioned, packaged and produced for the public’s easy consumption, Eli Lieb has self-produced his debut album, titled simply Eli Lieb. The collection of 10 original songs resonates with honest and touching sentiments within cinematic melodies, delivered in the spirit of uncompromising integrity. Appealing to fans of Robyn and James Blake, Eli Lieb has created something emotional and empowering.

Spring-boarding his musical career during his 10 years living in New York City with early musical roots in the East Village, Lieb took the NYC songwriting scene by storm. After his first performance at Sidewalk Café he was immediately swooped into meetings with producers, label execs and collaborators of the highest caliber. After a year or so exploring the big-labels, Eli put on the brakes and retreated to his hometown of Fairfield, Iowa. It was in this rural refuge where Eli was able to write one of this year’s most exciting club-beat driven albums from his own musical instincts.

Perhaps one of the keys to understanding Lieb’s intuitive sense of melody and insightful candid lyrics has to do with his lifelong practice of Transcendental Meditation. Raised in an environment in which he practiced daily, he was taught as a child and has been meditating daily since. Eli describes it as a very different upbringing, which he is entirely grateful for: “meditation allows me to go through life with positivity and joy and makes me feel a deep connection to the underlying currents that we are all a part of.” TM is the same meditation that the Maharishi introduced to the Beatles and which the David Lynch Foundation supports with numerous educational outreaches.

While the production value on Eli Lieb is of the utmost quality, the honest lyrical content was written the same way any bedroom record is written: straight from the hip, from the depths of the heart; Eli’s tremendous talent, craft, and heart-felt production shines through on every track. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.