Hallelujah is too Much

Hallelujah is too much is my debut record. It’s a breakup record. I never would have chosen to make a breakup record. It feels like an exhausting novelty of the singer-songwriter but it had to be made this past year as I sought to grieve, heal, grow and  reconstruct. I never fathomed many of the events the record addresses could happen to me. I didn’t know that I was capable of participating in such a whirlwind of despairing toxicity that yielded so many of the most beautiful moments of my life and simultaneously the darkest depths of rock bottom. This is a record of love, accountability, anxiety, anger, grief, psychological abuse, domestic violence, healing, social isolation, compassion. It is jaded, objective, steeped in bias, and humorous. It’s forgiving and it’s damning. Its driven by trauma resolution, the therapeutic process, introspection and the courage to keep moving forward. This record was made for free in a little house on a country road in east TN utilizing the  mics and instruments that I already had. I’m only a writer and a singer but I produced and mixed, played guitars, bass, keys, sang background vocals on all tracks. I had some help from a few steadfast people in my life. My cousin Trey played drums, my sister sang, and my high school orchestra teacher, Bill Robinson, played violin. It took almost a year to make as my capacities fluctuated from the exhaustion of this season of life. Reopening wounds as I processed what happened and tirelessly worked to resolve myself to make sure I never face these circumstances again. The work isn’t done but this album is. I hope you find some solidarity in the stories and feel a little less alone amongst your shortcomings. I still chose to believe we’re all just doing our best.  I did my best.

“I loved you like a hallelujah, with all the faith that it takes to believe, god is still here even when you can’t see, to know this world and still swear him true, that’s how much darlin’ I loved you.”

Much Love,

Fred Lee Cole