Hal Paris - Until Loving Finds Me (2025) Hi-Res

Hal Paris, the songwriting linchpin of the cult psychedelic outfit Country Funk, delivers a soul-baring collection with Until Loving Finds Me, 14 unreleased home demos that capture a restless talent at a pivotal moment, straddling the lonesome freedom of his East Coast retreat and the pull of Boulder’s promise. These lo-fi tracks, cut between 1971 and 1972, showcase Paris’s knack for heartfelt melodies and a voice echoing Jerry Garcia’s earnestness making this posthumous release a bittersweet testament to an artist who deserved a bigger stage.

Country Funk have long been favorites of the ‘70s fringe, and staples of many playlists around here. Their eponymous 1970 album is the kind that should crop up in any collection of the Cosmic American traveller. Now, Torn & Frayed have announced a collection of demos and unreleased tracks recorded just after the band’s indispensable album was released. The songs find songwriter Hal Paris alone. The band had disbanded and Hal was in the middle of relocation, briefly working his way to the East Coast before eventually settling into Colorado. There’s a loneliness to the tracks here, still awash in the subtle country touches that made the band great, but more aligned with the private press troubadours like FJ McMahon. Hal’s songwriting in this period reveals a softer heart, a brokenness that’s calling out for connection. The record culls together works that Paris recorded between ’71 and ’72, a perfect collection for private press diggers and folk/country kickers alike. Hal Paris’Until Loving Finds Me | Demos and Unreleased Recordings 1971-72 is out November 7th from Torn & Frayed and Slipstream Records.

Hal died in December 2023, so it is with a certain sadness that we share these tunes, in the knowledge that Hal didn't live to see them brought to life.