Over the years I have come to trust certain bands, PR companies and labels, and generally I take everything they offer me to review. I keep that list very tight as otherwise I will never get caught up, but what it does mean is I do get to hear music which otherwise would have passed me by. This is a case in point, as while I already had too much to review, I grabbed it due to who sent it to me, and this album is an absolute delight. Apparently, Paul is the lead singer of Americana folk-rock band Rose’s Pawn Shop, which he founded in 2006, as well as being in folk-grunge (?!) duo The Contraptionists with RPS bassist Stephen Andrews, and this is his second solo album following on from 2018’s ‘Fashion District Adjacent’.
I have no idea who is involved with the album apart from Paul, but what we have is a full on take of Laurel Canyon’s heyday with lush harmonies (male and female), six- and twelve-string acoustics, upright bass, shimmering mandolin, all led with Paul’s wonderfully broad and emotional vocals. This is not an album which belongs in 2025, it should have been released 50 years ago when Jackson Browne and The Eagles were at their peak. It is of a time gone by, and the first time I heard this I was in the car and soon realised I was singing along with choruses as it is such an infectious and wonderful album from the beginning to the end. This is music as it should be, it feels like a group of friends sat on the back deck making music in the evening without an auto tune in sight with proper lyrics and melodies as we work through singer/songwriter, Americana, tinges of pop and country & western to create an ambience which is warm and wonderful.
It is infectious, and I know that many will love this if only they get to hear it, and if you enjoy this style of music, I can only hope you will take my word on this and discover it for yourself as this is a warm slice of America far removed from what we see on the news.
Rating: 9/10
Links:
https://paulgivant.com/