ERIC CHURCH spent a grueling 28 straight days writing and recording the 24 songs for his “Heart & Soul” album.

He said it took more of a toll on him than expected. “I did not anticipate the mental, creative grind that doing this daily would do, where you have to come up with something every day.  There was one stretch of three or four days that I didn’t sleep.

“When I would lay down at night to try to sleep … immediately, you go, ‘We’ve gotta do this again tomorrow, and I have nothing,. There was a period there where it was hard — it was a lot harder than I thought … I’ve never been there before; I’ve never been that far out on the limb with the creative process.”

Hopefully, Eric is well rested now and taking care of himself.  “Heart & Soul” will be released in three parts. The nine-song Heart on April 16; the six-song &, available only to Church Choir fan club members, on April 20; and the nine-song Soul on April 23.