Paul
Childers - Naked Poetry
The
thirteen songs on Paul Childers’ debut album Naked Poetry are an emphatic
musical statement. It’s a reverberating opening salvo for a career seemingly
certain of longevity and leaving behind a meaningful influence for performers
who follow him. Few singers and songwriters land in the public consciousness
with such resounding effect and it virtually assures anyone listening that this
is an artist who intends to produce high caliber music for years to come. The
dominating style on Naked Poetry, nuanced R&B typically boasting a brass
section, There are some interesting variations occurring over the course of
thirteen songs, but Childers moves from one approach to another with unshakable
confidence. It’s not the sort of thing musical performers typically possess so
early on, at such a young age, but Childers has the sort of poise that comes
along once in a generation. This is a potentially iconic career in the offing.
His
self-assurance comes through from the first. “Music Will Pull You Through” and
“The Art of Being Twenty” are a fantastic one-two punch that serves notice
Naked Poetry aims to be a substantive artistic statement. The first of the two
songs concentrates more on conveying a sense of universality through
storytelling while the latter song hits on much more personal sounding
sentiments and strikes a nice contrast with the album’s opener. “Why Don’t You
Stay?” shows that Childers has a remarkable talent for inhabiting the slow drag
of a real R&B burner. It’s all the more remarkable how well Naked Poetry
holds together when you consider Childers’ willingness to take different
directions from song to song. The track “At Our Own Pace” moves from a patient
R&B style with an emphasis on blues to the deep pocket and slinky sounds
heard on “At Our Own Pace” and do so without missing a step. He projects the
same vocal confidence on this song that’s stamped on the album’s other ten
tracks and it makes it quite an entertaining ride. “My Love of the Rain” comes
at an excellent place in the album’s procession – near the mid way point – and
works better than you could ever expect as the album’s cinematic heart. It does
a superb job with only a few essential musical elements and builds to all of
the right crescendos without ever cheapening the moment.
“Emma”
has a very different flavor from the other songs for a variety of reasons but
the curious rhythms of the song differ most noticeably from his approach in the
other material. It doesn’t compromise his vocal, however – time in, time out,
on Naked Poetry, Childers gives evidence that he can handle any style. “No One
Goes Dancing Anymore” is one of the high points of the album’s second half and
blends stylish R&B with pure pop strengths in a way that’s sure to win adherents.
“Disclosure” is a different kettle of fish as well. It recalls the personal
touch we heard on the album’s second track, but there’s a much cloudier tint
hanging over the track than we ever heard from “The Art of Being Twenty”.
“Throwing Shade” is the album’s last moment of pure glorious invention. The
incongruous marriage of the upbeat musical arrangement and the darkly comic,
somewhat cynical lyric is quite dramatic. There’s an embarrassment of riches on
this album – Paul Childers has clearly harnessed all of his powers to make this
a meaningful initial album that will stand the test of his sure to be long
career.
Michael
Saulman
