This month, I had the opportunity to sit down with Sheri Easter, of Jeff and Sheri Easter, to discuss their newest recording. It’s one you’ll definitely want in your collection.
Victoria Bowlin: Tell us a little bit about your new project? What’s the title and release date?
Sheri Easter: Our new project is You Are Loved, which released on August 30, 2019. We’re so excited to share it with everyone! I co-wrote 6 of the 10 songs and am always anxious to get the songs out after living with them in my head and on paper for so long. I’ve been writing for over 30 years, and it’s something that happens with or without planning! The ideas, the hook lines, the stories, they take on a life of their own, and I love to see them grow into something beautiful. It really is like having children, teaching them and praying they make a difference in someone else’s life!
VB: What’s your favorite song on the new CD?
SE: I have two favorites for very different reasons. “People Like Me” is our first collaboration with one of my all-time favorite writers in any genre, Paul Overstreet. We’ve recorded many of his songs throughout our career, and last year, Jeff reached out to him on social media, and he responded by inviting us to come and write with him. It’s not always the case, but he was everything we had hoped he would be, kind, funny, interesting, embracing, and ridiculously talented! The song is centered around God loving us just the way we are. In Jeff Easter’s words, God loves the country boys and girls…and the city slickers, just the same! My favorite to sing from the new project is “Sweet Hellos”, written by Kenna West, Jason Cox and myself a few months after my mama passed away. We had planned a writing day and Kenna tossed me the hook, saying it made her think of my sweet mama. Of course, she had no idea that a few months later, her precious mama would pass away unexpectedly. It’s a beautiful way of expressing the grief in goodbyes. When my daddy died, I was 20 and grieved as you would expect, lots of tears, lots of questions. But when mama passed away after a 16 year battle with Parkinsons, spending her last 9 years bedridden and her last 3 unable to communicate, it was a very different process…lots of peace, gratitude and even joy. Grieving is very personal and very “loss specific”, and we should allow ourselves to grieve accordingly. My favorite line is one I clung to when I lost my sweet nephew, “We don’t grieve as those who have no hope. There is comfort, in what we know.” Honestly, every time I sing the last chorus, even in the studio, I see my mama’s gorgeous smile when I sing the phrase, “We will trade our goodbyes for sweet hellos”.
VB: What seems to be the crowd favorite?
SE: Everyone is loving the title cut “You Are Loved,” “People Like Me,” “Sweet Hellos” and “Send It On Down The Nile,” another song I wrote with Kenna and our sweet friend, Sue Smith.
VB: Is there anything that you feel God has been trying to teach you or speak to you about through this new recording?
SE: He’s been teaching me and reminding me for a couple of projects now, to let others know they are loved. I felt so compelled to write “Jesus Loves You” for our Small Town project, and 3 years later, wrote “You Are Loved!” I feel like all of the anger and hate we see now, stems from people not knowing they are loved and valued. If we could remember our value, we wouldn’t need to tear others down in an effort to feel better about ourselves. One of my favorite lines in “You Are Loved” is “before you took one breath, you were enough”!
VB: What makes this project different from your others?
SE: I think with longevity of life and career, there comes a deeper gratitude. I think listeners will feel the gratitude in every song!
VB: How do you pick your songs for a new album?
SE: A lot of prayer and a respect for one another’s stories. Jeff and I couldn’t be more opposite musically, but we’re grateful that God has blessed us with such harmony…pun intended :)…in combining those stories and styles of music into one beautiful sound!
VB: What is your desire for people who listen to this new project?
SE: As it’s been for 40 years, to be encouraged. Life can be very hard. I learned that very early, when my sweet daddy passed away when I was only 20…I got very serious about what was important and what wasn’t. Superficial complaints and silly drama does nothing to edify, and God wants us to love others and edify them!
VB: What is the best way for people to order this new CD and keep track of where you’ll be so they can come see you LIVE in concert?
SE: Stay in touch with us through our website, www.jeffandsherieaster.com or through our social media:
www.facebook.com/jeffandsherieaster
www.twitter.com/JSEaster
www.instagram.com/jeffandsherieaster
www.youtube.com/jeffandsherieasterofficial
