See Chris Carmack’s Introspective ‘Pieces of You’ on ‘Today’
Nashville star Chris Carmack took his single “Pieces of You” to NBC’s Today show on Monday, performing the title cut of his recently released EP in an acoustic setting. Introduced by hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, Carmack said, “I’m still trying to find my voice as a musician and an artist,” also noting that while the Today performance was stripped down, the album version of the song is “an electrified thing.”
Backed by an additional acoustic guitarist and a percussionist, the song kicks off rather quietly but by the time Carmack reaches the bridge, his folky, introspective vocal delivery turns a little more bitter and a lot more soulful.
As the one of the only stars from the ABC drama to release his own original music during the show’s four seasons, one might expect Carmack’s debut to reflect the same mainstream country influences as his character, rising (and openly gay) star Will Lexington. But Pieces of You runs the gamut from introspective singer-songwriter material to funk and blues-influenced jams.
“All of those elements exist in all of these songs, but some are more highlighted than others,” he tells Rolling Stone Country. “There’s some hard-hitting blues electric guitar and I’ve got some mellow acoustic guitar. I play guitar on every track and I sing on every track.”
After an extended winter break, Carmack and the rest of the Nashville cast will return as the show rejoins the ABC lineup on March 16th.