Customer Reviews

Are You With Me

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being an avid PT fan my first knee jerk reaction to "Are You With Me" wasn't real enthusiastic. I have no objection to artists expanding their horizons, but so much of what Paul Thorn is great at was left out. His intricate & humorous lyrics in previous efforts, are replaced by common, run-of-the-mill pop rhymes. You still hear good, raspy vocals & pleasant harmonies, but it's not enough to overcome my disappointment. I may be being too tough after listening to "Are You With Me" only once, but I'm hoping it will grow on me since Thorn is such a talent. If you are a Paul Thorn fan, do yourself a favor and listen to this before you buy it.

I am a huge Paul Thorn fan. I think his music and art are both very original and clever. I have seen Paul in concert (most recently when he opened for Mark Knopfler), and had the privilege of meeting him. (Yes, he's a really nice guy.) He is the real deal, a hardworking, smart, funny, talented musician. Having said all that, I was less enthusiastic about this CD than "Mission Temple Fireworks Stand" and other earlier works.

In general, my favorite feature of Paul's music is the subtle wit and touch of sarcasm in his lyrics ("Burn Down The Trailer Park" stands as my all time favorite) and it is therefore no wonder that I like this album less than older works. On this CD Paul has seemingly made the conscious decision to go mainstream and the result is a pleasant CD of pop songs that are generally inoffensive, but lack the humor and bite of his earlier works. The one real standout on the CD is the title track, "Are You With Me?" which is an up-tempo conventional love song that is exceptionally well executed. My other favorite from the CD is "Love Will Find You," a powerful ballad about lost love.

In spite of my critique, I still endorse this CD: I give the album four stars; the performances here are excellent, but the level of cantankerous playfulness present on earlier albums is mostly absent.

I was introduced to Paul Thorn's music about three months ago. I immediately went out and acquired his entire catalog. This guy is great, he is witty, funny, self-deprecating yet poignant and moving. If you get a chance to see him live please do!!! He is such an engaging guy, he will make you laugh, you will enjoy every minute !! I also had the chance to meet him and he is a really nice down to earth guy. He is right up there with Steve Earle and Warren Zevon in my book. "She Won't Cheat on Us" is one of my favorites on this CD as well as "If I Can Get Over Her" and "Lover's Vacation".This is really just a general endorsement of Paul, buy all of his albums !!!! Check out his website too !!!

"Fabio and Liberace" may be groovin in a leopard skin thong to tracks 4-6, but the rest of the cd is lacking. I do think PT has given me "a lot of good reasons" to love his artistry but honestly, I feel like "blue stew" because in the past, Paul has given me "a lot of good reasons to come back around" again and again to his music; not so this time.Maybe it's just a bump in the road or a mountain he needs to climb. So dont worry Paul, I've gotta "heart with four wheel drive" and I'm stickin by ya. If PT reads all of these reviews, "I bet he knows" he is getting a "sure sign" that he needs to put some meat back on the bones of his lyrics. They are starting to sound redundant. Do me a favor PT, call 1-900-Ruby Ann and get some advice. "That's all I know right now". Love you Paul.

Hello I'm an autistic adult.

All I have to say is this is a good cd and I like it.

Buy it if you like to listen to Paul Thorn.

Awesome CD. You can feel Paul Thorn's music in your soul. If you like a blues feel at all, buy this CD.

You like Paul? Better get this one.

A natural story teller, Paul Thorn's Miss'ippi drawl pulls the listener into the experience like the smell of yo' mama's hot cornbread. Not complicated but complex in their own way, his songs are a unique combination of common, down-home ingredients that satisfies the soul with truth and wit. The songs on this CD are about lost love, yearning, and infidelity and they describe the human condition in ways both truthfully blunt and tender, using gentle humor as opposed to bitter outrage.

I've listened to this CD over a period of a couple of years, now, after being introduced to him on a Delbert McClinton cruise, and it continues to satisfy with a great R&B feel and lyrics with which I always identify. While some music grabs you with outrageous hooks that soon grow stale from repeated listening, Thorn's songs and music create a story world that grows more satisfying with each spin of the CD. His older albums create the same gently humorous world view, a world of strange characters and common emotions. And some of those strange characters seem way too familiar.

I just found this guy. His music is unbelievable. The lyrics are clever, funky and sweet. He tells stories you really want to hear, and the music has me dancing in my kitchen. What a find...where did he come from and how come he's not a million seller? I just love this music. It's a combo of Taj Majal, Little Feat and Van the man. Only better than all three.

It's nice to see quality evolution in today's world. Even if it is only in music.
Paul and Billy have transitioned well with this cd. The old stuff is good. This is less schtick and more of the real deal with a dash of pauls,"musical persona".
Gotta love the back ground vocals. This cd has inflections of many musical genre's.
GREAT WORK!