Love Is Overtaking Me

Hailed by a two generations of listeners as one of the most important (and overlooked) songwriters of the last 25 years, Arthur Russell's music remains as contemporary today as when it was first recorded. Over the last four years, Audika Records has diligently mined Russell's vast archive of previously unreleased music with the critically lauded albums Calling Out of Context, Springfield, World of Echo, and First Thought Best Thought. Now, the label completes the oeuvre, showing Russell's singer-songwriter side. Love Is Overtaking Me collects the best of the previously unreleased folk, pop, and country stylings from Arthur Russell's archive. Compiled from over eight hours of material and three years in the making, the album includes some of Russell's earliest '70s compositions through to his very last at-home recordings in 1991. Several of these tracks are featured prominently in Matt Wolf 's film Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell, including "Close My Eyes," "Eli," The Letter," and "Love Is Overtaking Me." The album is compiled from several sources, including the legendary demos made for John Hammond Sr., a demo of a country song written for Randy Travis, and the late '80s collaboration with Steven Hall recording as Bright & Early. Extensive liner notes from Russell's longtime companion Tom Lee provide perspective into the intimate nature of Arthur's process and songwriting.