Ernie Halter
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Ernie Halter

Nashville, Tennessee, United States | SELF | AFTRA

Nashville, Tennessee, United States | SELF | AFTRA
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"All Music Review"

When singer/songwriter Ernie Halter titled his last regular studio album Starting Over in 2008, he was thinking more personally than musically, reflecting on the breakup of his marriage, but doing so in the same musical terms as on his previous album, 2007's Congress Hotel. He may wish he had held onto the title Starting Over for this album, Franklin & Vermont (named after the cross streets where he lives in Los Angeles), since he really does seem to be starting over musically here, self-producing and stripping down the arrangements to just himself on guitar or a keyboard instrument, plus a restrained rhythm section, which harks back to the stark sound of his debut album, 2005's Lo-Fidelity. But the instrumentation is less significant that the songwriting and the vocal performances. Halter is a romantic who expresses himself in simple, sincerely sung pop songs. He sings in a supple, breathy tenor, and his songwriting displays pop craftsmanship; there's always a catchy chorus, and a bridge comes along after a couple of verses to provide musical variety. Love is sometimes good and sometimes bad, or rather, it's always good, but sometimes, for reasons the singer himself doesn't seem privy to, not working. That is the case, for example, in the leadoff track, "Hard to Let a Good Love Go." That's a characteristic title for Halter, but it raises the question, if the love is good, why does it have to be let go, anyway? The answer seems to be that the decision is out of the singer's hands. He consoles himself by the end that no one can take away from him "This Beautiful Ache." Halter co-writes some of these songs (a couple with Lady Antebellum's Jason "Slim" Gambill) and finds covers that express his feelings from the catalogs of Squeeze ("Black Coffee in Bed") and Coldplay ("In My Place"). But it all adds up to the same sweet longing for love that sometimes is within his grasp, and others times inexplicably absent. - ***


"MTV - New Song: Justin Bieber, 'Come Home To Me'"

We're not sure how Justin Bieber found time to record a cover of Ernie Halter's "Come Home To Me" while touring Asia, but we're certainly glad he did. The cute Canadian crooner released this stripped-down acoustic track for free download yesterday via his Twitter account, adding, "@erniehalter come home to me is such a great song. I thought I would do a little something with it."

The lesser-known singer/songwriter was flattered, tweeting back, "Wow! Thank you. You sounded great singing our song. Talking with co-writer @lisagoe and we're both so honored!" We'd be flattered, too, if we were him; this might just be Halter's breakthrough moment. (How many of you knew who he was before?)

Accompanied by a single acoustic guitar, Bieber sounds like he's singing just to you. The tender vocals and simple arrangement sound a lot like the Plain White T's "Hey Delilah," only significantly less whiny. We pity the fool who does not want to "come home to" the Biebs after hearing him sing this lovely tune. - ***


"Justine Magazine"

"Perfect for driving on a winding road with the windows down." - ***


"MTV - Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez Surprise Indie Act Ernie Halter At His Show"

When Ernie Halter put out a call to arms on his Twitter account for fans to come out to his O.C. show, he probably had no idea that one very famous fan would take him up on the offer. On Thursday night, when Halter played at La Cave Restaurant in Costa Mesa, California, he was surprised by Justin Bieber. The Biebs, who brought gal pal Selena Gomez as his date, even took the stage with the singer/songwriter.

"@justinbieber Now get some rest. I still can't believe you flew 11 hrs and drove an hour to surprise me. Wow. So honored. @justinbieber great meeting u & @selenagomez tonight. Def a night to remember. Thank you for the encouragement & for singing with me," Halter wrote on Twitter.

Bieber has covered Halter's track "Come Home to Me" in his own shows, and on Thursday night he sang the tune right alongside the singer, much to Halter's amazement.

"I'm speechless. @justinbieber and @selenagomez came to see me play tonight and Justin sat in. All I can say is wow," he wrote. "@scooterbraun Great meeting you and Karen tonight. What an awesome surprise! Rest up and hope to cross paths again soon. Cheers! @selenagomez you and Justin are so sweet. Pleasure meeting you both. I saw you singing along to my songs. Made my night that much better."

Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, also used Twitter to gush about the night. "I love surprises. We drove an hour out of LA to surprise @erniehalter at his gig. #awesome," he wrote.

Bieber also sent his love and support to Halter on the site. "@erniehalter thanks for the night. Glad we could surprise u. U r the real deal. Congrats to u and the wife. And ... @erniehalter Never Say Never aint no BS. Haha. Thanks again," he wrote. "Music is universal. #artistssupportartists #SWAG" - ***


"Justin Bieber"

"Come Home To Me is such a great song". - ***


"Daily Buzz TV"

"Ernie Halter is going to be a huge star!" - ***


"Boston Herald"

"Halter knows how to connect with fans." - ***


"Girls Life Magazine"

"Ernie's milk-and-honey voice is a sweet serenade." - ***


"***"

"Perfect for driving on a winding road with the windows down."
Justine Magazine

"Ernie's milk-and-honey voice is a sweet serenade."
Girl's Life Magazine

"Halter knows how to connect with fans."
Christopher John Treacy - Boston Herald

"Ernie Halter is going to be a huge star!"
Daily Buzz TV - ***


Discography

- Lo Fidelity (Self-Released) 2005
- Congress Hotel (RockRidge/ADA) 2007
- Starting Over (RockRidge/ADA) 2008 - Debuted #22 iTunes Rock Albums
- Ernie Halter Live (RockRidge/ADA) 2010 - #9 iTunes Singer/Songwriter Albums
- "4U" Sampler (Rockridge/ADA) 2010 - #1 Mp3 Album Download Amazon.com
- Franklin & Vermont (RockRidge/ADA) 2010 - #2 iTunes Singer/Songwriter Albums
- In July (Self-Released) 2012 - #25 iTunes Singer/Songwriter Singles

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Bio

LA born singer/songwriter turned Nashvillian, Ernie Halter got his start playing local coffeeshops and recorded his first CD "Lo-Fidelity" in his bathroom in 2005. He has since released 4 albums, toured 49 states, and seen his popularity swell to more than 510,000 Twitter followers, 12,000 YouTube subscribers, and nearly 10,000 Facebook 'Likes'.

In 2011 Justin Bieber covered Ernie Halter's "Come Home To Me" making international headlines and exposing Halter's music to a wide new audience.

Ernie Halter has shared the studio and stage with:
Jason Mraz, Lady Antebellum, Neil Young, Colbie Caillat, Sara Barielles, Katy Perry, Eric Hutchinson, Tony Lucca, Allen Stone, Drake Bell, Sister Hazel, and more.

Halter's songs have been heard on SiriusXM Coffeehouse, Good Morning America, A Thousand Words (Film), Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Jimmy Kimmel Live, General Hospital, Cougar Town, Army Wives, The Real World, and Disney's Sonny With A Chance.

Ernie Halter is a regular favorite at venues nationwide such as The Hotel Cafe (Los Angeles), Rockwood Music Hall (New York City), SPACE (Chicago), 3rd & Lindsley (Nashville), Eddie's Attic (Atlanta), The Prophet Bar (Dallas), The Walnut Room (Denver), Jammin' Java (DC), and more.