The bridge between the
Heart and
Soul albums, the mini-LP
& isn't quite an afterthought or departure. It's merely a bonus EP given to members of the Church Choir -- the name of
Eric Church's fan club -- between the releases of
Heart and
Soul, containing six songs from the same North Carolina sessions that produced the two other LPs. Like its parent albums,
& benefits from
Church's assured craft and the easy authority of his band, who sound as convincing on the slow-burning "Doing Life with Me" as they do on the straight-up funk "Do Side." If none of the six songs here feel monumental -- apart from the aforementioned "Do Side" and the steady crescendo of "Lone Wolf," everything here is so low-key it could be called subdued -- they're all quite appealing, modest yet finely crafted tunes that are meant to endure. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
