MISS YOU LIKE HELL (2018)
Original Cast Recording of Erin’s 2018 Off-Broadway musical co-written with Quiara Alegría Hudes. A daughter who is allowed to stay. A mother who may be forced to leave. And the unexpected cadre of American originals they meet en route to mom’s citizenship hearing. Miss You Like Hell explores how many miles we can travel with the help of courageous neighbors and beautiful strangers.
MIRRORS BREAK BACK (2017)
The darker themes and sharper-edged R&B sound of MIRRORS BREAK BACK are no accident. These 6 songs were conceived as a meditation on self-hate and a direct response to McKeown’s 2016 ode to self-confidence and identity, ACCORDING TO US. Synths, programmed beats, and multi-tracked doo-wop background vocals add new shades of expression for McKeown as she wrestles with her worst impulses and negative thoughts.
ACCORDING TO US (2016)
“I have been thinking a lot about the power of self-definition – the ability to decide who we want to be and then live out those choices. There is an enormous amount of liberation in finding the confidence to be who you are – whether that refers to fashion, gender, sexuality, politics, spirituality, whatever expression you choose. I tried to organize these songs around that idea, honesty and celebration. This is who we are, according to us.”
And thus it was written and ever shall be in McKeown’s signature style. The 6 songs of ACCORDING TO US use the intimate and personal expressions of gospel, jazz and hip-hop to spread the word.
MANIFESTRA (2013)
On MANIFESTRA, McKeown’s personal and political passions merge in the 10 original songs and instrumentation that defines the album. Saxophones double guitars. Vintage synths merge with strings as keyboards mirror vocal lines. Loops and live drums unite to push songs forward. Recorded live with McKeown’s touring band, the album also features a string section led by Joseph Brent and horns by Matt Douglas. Guest singers include Polly Paulusma, Ryan Montbleau, Anais Mitchell, Sean Hayes, and David Wax Museum.
F*CK THAT! (2011)
Tired of holiday hype? Gritting your teeth until New Year’s Eve? Erin McKeown is too. Filled with profanity, irreverance, and just plain bad behavior, “F*ck That!” is the antidote to all that annoying holiday spirit. It’s the world’s first anti-capitalist, pro-queer, suspicious of christmas-as-patriotism, sex-positive, not safe for work, multi-ethnic, radical leftist Anti-Holiday record. There is nothing redeeming about christmas in any of these 10 songs. Please note this album contains adult language and themes completely inappropriate for children. On purpose.
HUNDREDS OF LIONs (2009)
With no label exec to watch the clock, Sam Kassirer and Erin McKeown retreated to a farmhouse studio tucked in a pocket of rural New England and experimented. They squished acoustic sounds through synthesizers. They programmed electronic squiggles to mingle with orchestral strings recorded in a country church down the street. Brass and woodwinds, traditionally last, were recorded very early on so they built the core of the record instead of just layered on top. They tried it all then whittled away what didn’t work. The result is a record that’s lush but focused, that soars and dips, with lyrics that dismantle the elegance and danger of desire.
LAFAYETTE (2007)
Named after the address of New York’s much-loved Joe’s Pub, Lafayette is an on-record invitation into Erin’s world, the stage, where she spends more than half of every year knocking ‘em dead nightly. Over 13 tracks, Lafayette captures the energy and musicality of McKeown as a bandleader and entertainer extraordinaire.
SING YOU SINNERS (2007)
Fresh on the heels of, We Will Become Like Birds, McKeown comes roaring back with Sing You Sinners, 13 songs of mischief and spunk collected from the forgotten corners of Tin Pan Alley and Broadway. Written by the likes of Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter, and Fats Waller, learned from Fred Astaire, Gene Krupa, Nat King Cole, and Blossom Dearie, Sinners is McKeown’s singular and sly take on the not-so-standard entries in the Great American Songbook.
WE WILL BECOME LIKE BIRDS (2005)
What do you do after you’ve made three critically-acclaimed albums that explore nearly every genre of popular music? If you’re Erin McKeown, you make We Will Become Like Birds, the 27-year-old’s fourth studio album. It’s a work of simple and elegant beauty so original that no one but Erin McKeown could be responsible.
GRAND (2003)
Produced, engineered, and mixed by David Chalfant, Grand features Erin playing guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, and singing her little ass off. Joining her are drummers Brian Jones and George Javori and the horn section known only as the Bomb Squad. We’ve got up, we’ve got down, so stick it in your car and BLAST IT!