Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Hannah Kirby from The Voice Season 8 has released a new EP.

And fans can check it out on her new “Live! From Wesley Hall” EP.

Hannah released an impressive post-Voice album called “Fire in My Soul” back in 2016.

But she admits that project was a bit all over the place in terms of sound and genre and says “I felt my songs didn’t reflect me.”

“I really started thinking about that after Tom Petty’s passing,” Hannah says. “He’s my favorite musician of all time. There’s nothing that makes me feel as good as listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

“Tom Petty’s music is Tom Petty. He put everything he was into his music. And he made me want to do the same. I want my music to be 100 percent me. I want it to be authentic and I want it to make people feel good.”

As a result, Hannah says her sound is pretty different now — a classic rock foundation with influences from early rock, blues, soul and jazz.

“That’s who I am,” she says. “And after singing many different genres I have to say my voice sounds the best singing rock that has a soul and blues influence. It’s perfect for me cause I can rock like Tom and wail on those long notes like Aretha (Franklin).”

The new EP features a pair of originals — “I Can’t Stop Thinking About” and “Wash Your Hands” — and a Hank Williams cover, “I Can’t Help It If I’m Still in Love with You.”

Hannah says she decided to include the latter as a way of saying thanks to the folks who let her take part in the jamborees in East Texas when she was growing up, saying she learned “so much from them.

“I’ve also always thought it would make an awesome blues song, while staying true to the original format and melody,” she added. “I also love, love, the lyrics. You nailed it, Hank. Nailed it.”

As for her decision to record live, Hannah says she’s never been a big fan of the traditional method of recording, where each musician comes in separately to record their part of a song.

“I’m like, ‘Let’s get the band in a room, hook up, and just play the thing. It doesn’t need to be perfect, in fact, I like that it isn’t perfect, but it sounds perfect to me

“And my band is insanely good. They are killer. They made my songs sound better than I could have ever imagined.”

Hannah has already released performance videos for the two originals on the EP. The music video for “I Can’t Help It” will follow soon, she said.

Hannah was 20 when she auditioned for Season 8 and nabbed the very last spot on Team Blake Shelton.

You can keep up with Hannah through her Facebook page and website. On Twitter, she’s @IamHannahKirby.

Here’s “Wash Your Hands” from the “Live! from Wesley Hall.”