Ellis Paul Albums (13)
'A Summer Night in Georgia'
Release Date 4/7/2009
Tracks 25
Label Black Wolf
See Album Tracklist and Review
'The Dragonfly Races'
Release Date 12/17/2007
Tracks 14
Label Blackwolf
See Album Tracklist and Review
'American Jukebox Fables'
Release Date 4/5/2005
Tracks 13
Label Philo
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Thanks to a number of releases on Philo (starting in the 1990s), Ellis Paul has earned a rep for his literate songs and distinctive high-end vocals. On American Jukebox Fables Paul brings these gifts to bear on the American landscape in the post-millennium, post-9/11 world. Perhaps the first thing one will notice is the big production, one that includes everything from acoustic and electric guitars to bass, drums, mandolins, and background vocals. It isn't so much the eclectic nature of these instruments that calls attention to the production, though, but the fact, in busier passages, that the instruments are all overlapping one another. While these arrangements don't overpower Paul's vocals on songs like "Blacktop Train" or "Kiss the Sun," they do add a busier, more bombastic dimension to them. The material -- as the title suggests -- has a strong Americana element throughout, with references to everyone from Johnny Cash to Charlie Chaplin to Hank Williams. In "Kiss the Sun," for instance, Paul mixes Middle American images -- Kansas wheat fields -- with images of war, but adds to the usual liberal message by praising figures as disparate as Martin Luther King and Lenny Bruce. One begins to gather with "Jukebox on My Grave" that Paul is building a portrait of his own America, an America with a legacy of violence and great music. While the production sometimes overwhelms the lyrical underpinning, fans will find American Jukebox Fables a fine entry in Paul's catalog. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Most artists eventually come up against a timeless foe called stagnation, and must contemplate how to keep the creative juices flowing. One method of regeneration is to join forces with another artist as Vance Gilbert and Ellis Paul have done on Side of the Road, sharing musical and lyrical ideas. Both artists attempt to grow out of their own skin here by trading songs, singing together, and offering new versions of other peoples' songs. Paul kicks things off with fellow songsmith's Mark Erelli's "The Only Way," and for all appearances, it could be the start of any Paul album. By the second song, however, the listener knows that something's up. Not only does Gilbert sing the lead here, but the arrangement has transformed from fairly traditional (acoustic guitars and fiddle) on the first cut to modern folk (organ and electric guitar). This tasteful hodgepodge becomes even more adventurous as the album proceeds, creating a disc that's more intriguing than the average singer/songwriter fare. Both Gilbert and Paul are good singers, the former's lows balancing out the latter's highs. There are also a number of nice takes on older songs, including a slow version of Neil Young's "Comes a Time," and a heartfelt rendition of Van Morrison's "Comfort You." Fans of both artists will enjoy hearing Gilbert and Paul expand their imaginative reach on Side of the Road. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Speed of Trees once again confirms Ellis Paul's standing among the very best singer/songwriters to emerge from Boston in the 1990s, a decade in which that city became the nation's capital of contemporary folk music. With insightfully upbeat lyrics and melodies that soar, surprise, and stick to the brain, the songwriting on this album represents a significant improvement on Translucent Soul, Paul's prior major-studio effort for Philo Records. The earlier album was sharply produced by Jerry Marotta, but its introspective songs were uncharacteristically repetitive and sometimes overly sentimental. The follow-up, released fully four years later, suffers from the reverse problem. The Speed of Trees reunites Paul with Stories producer Duke Levine, an electric guitar specialist who has tended to favor bland folk-rock arrangements that obscure the crisp acoustic guitar style that is one of Paul's strengths. With The Speed of Trees, Levine's shortcomings lie not so much in instrumentation as pace. Though Paul's guitars are still sometimes overpowered by Levine's, most of these songs are presented in creative settings that utilize both acoustic and electric instruments. If the sound and mix quality were a little better, the only problem would be the strangely sluggish tempo of the record. Of course, this complaint doesn't apply to ballads like "If You Break Down," "Eighteen," and "When We Begin," which come across beautifully in relaxed settings that include cello, mandolin, and pedal steel. But on faster songs like "Maria's Beautiful Mess," "Sweet Mistakes," and "Give in, Give Up," which seem to want to reach into power pop territory, Paul sounds as if he's driving on the freeway with the parking brake on. Perhaps Paul and Levine were attempting to demonstrate the title track's idea of "moving at the speed of trees." But the trouble is that Paul's superbly crafted songs often seem to be aiming for the speed of sound. ~ Evan Cater, All Music Guide
'Sweet Mistakes'
Release Date 11/15/2001
Tracks 12
Label www.EllisPaul.com
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
During an uncharacteristically long four-year period between major-studio releases, Ellis Paul quietly offered this web-sales-only assortment of new recordings to his patient fan base. "This is not a concept album," he warned in the liner notes, "This is a collection of demos, ideas, experiments...with noises and choices that might not survive onto a label album." At the core of the album are four tracks recorded at an Atlanta studio that subsequently burned down, taking the master recordings with it and unexpectedly turning Paul's unfinished demos into finished products. But it's doubtful that extensive alterations would have been necessary. All four songs are reasonably polished and richly produced folk-pop efforts. The title track especially seems radio-ready and instantly ranks among Paul's best. (It was, in fact, used as is in the Gwyneth Paltrow comedy Shallow Hal.) The techno and hip-hop-influenced "Martyr's Lounge" and "The 20th Century Is Over" are risky experiments for Paul, but they are both surprisingly successful. Other experiments, like the anthemic remix of "3,000 Miles" and the Jayhawks-style countrified "Roll Away Bed," are less noteworthy. But such daring stylistic excursions are balanced by the fine, straight-up folk arrangements on "Kristian's Song" and "Medicine." On the whole, the record leaves the impression that Paul is getting even better as a writer of philosophically optimistic, tightly melodic contemporary folk music, while losing none of his command over that dynamic silken tenor. ~ Evan Cater, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Ellis Paul came late to folk music. It wasn't until late in his college years that he first began to play the guitar. But when he arrived, he brought a powerful and distinctive tenor voice, a keen ear for melody, and a penetrating eye for detail that earned him instant attention in Boston's increasingly folk-saturated music scene. Paul's second album, Am I Home, was recorded when the singer was only 24. The 2000 re-release (the record had never before been available on CD) finds Paul at an early stage of development as a guitarist. He was just beginning to experiment with the alternate tunings that would become a regular feature of his work, and he seems discernibly less sure-fingered in his picking than on later records. His weaknesses are more evident here than on his 1989 debut, Urban Folk Songs, perhaps because on that album Paul was flanked by several other guitarists whereas Am I Home features only two backup strummers. But Paul seems to have matured as a songwriter since the first record. Three of these tracks ("Angel," "Friday Night," and "New Light on Your Halo") were strong enough to be included in his excellent Rounder Records debut, Say Something. Though slightly overlong and overwrought, "This Old Car" and "Am I Home" would have been just as appropriate for the later album, representing the songwriter's first experiments with the distinctive storytelling lyrical style that would dominate future efforts. Ultimately, Am I Home lacks the polish of Say Something and the free-spirited levity of Urban Folk Songs. But it is more than just a revealing early glimpse of one of America's finest contemporary folk singers. It is a fine collection in its own right, worth serious consideration even by casual Ellis Paul fans. ~ Evan Cater, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
American East Coast singer/songwriter Ellis Paul has always been successful at coming up with songs that seem to mirror the everyday foibles of small-town, working-class America. Here he turns the lens on himself and the dissolution of his marriage -- the centerpiece of this very intimate, close-to-the-bone album. Strong playing out of producer Jerry Marotta and guest players Bill Dillon and Tony Levin frame the tunes in a highly supportive way. Highlights include "Did I Ever Know You?," "She Loves a Girl," "Seven," "Take Me Down," "The World Ain't Slowin' Down," "Angel in Manhattan" and the title track. An album full of sound textures and emotions big and bigger. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Slapping to life on a hard snare head, the album is introduced by the lyrically cynical bewailing of city life "Midnight Strikes Too Soon." City lights illuminate the first few rides in the carnival, from the mellow "Midnight" to the tuneful travel log "Paris in a Day" (featuring backing by Patty Griffin and the clever musical question "What would Marcel Marceau say?") to the MBTA-inspired whispered reminiscence "Trolley Car." The train theme is touched on again in "Deliver Me," which mixes slightly annoying syllabic swallowing and musical mispronunciation with fluid guitar work and intelligent and insightful Biblical references. Inner-city blues return in "The Ball Is Coming Down," a tragically throbbing view of New Year's Eve and the sad people who struggle through it each year. On the more hopeful side is the gorgeous ballad of faith called "Weightless" that mixes Paul's lovely picking and voice with that of the equally lovely Jennifer Kimball. As Paul reminds listeners in the unlisted group reprise of the opening chorus, "Midnight Strikes Too Soon." In other words, life is fleeting and unpredictable, so live it fully, or else be forced to face the regret beautifully depicted in songs such as "Never Lived at All," "All My Heroes Were Junkies," and the hidden final track "Ghosts." A good start would be buying his album and taking Paul's lyrical messages to heart. ~ Matthew Robinson, All Music Guide
