Translucent Soul

Ellis Paul

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 15, 1998)
• Original Release Date: September 15, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Philo / Umgd
• ASIN: B00000AFD2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #122,927 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Introspective both lyrically and sonically, this is Ellis Paul's most personal recording, distinguished less by scenes and stories and more by a laying bare of his own fears and desire-fueled visions. "Think more about the future / When change brings your past to an end / Use your love like a suture / That's a good place to begin," Paul whispers, wry and ethereal. "Bring me backwards / I can't fool time / I'm walking in circles / I've committed no crime," he sings elsewhere. While the softness of his delivery is evocative in small doses, these frequently intense songs would profit from more vocal bite. But producer Jerry Marotta demonstrates a light, lush touch with percussion, and Tony Levin's melodic bass and Bill Dillon's guitar sympathize with Paul's interrogation of his own soul. Those familiar with Paul's material may be surprised by the gravity of these songs, but the focus makes this his most emotionally involving and artistically serious effort to date. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Songwriter in the World today, January 5, 1999

By A Customer

This is Ellis's "Blood on the tracks". It is lyrically on a par with his previous masterpiece "Carnival of voices" and is even more lush musically. The song "Angel in Manhatton" is my favorite: a song about faith in the everyday ordinary. The most catchy song is "The world ain't slowing down", with the images rolling pass the mind's eye (I get the sensation, like joy and fustration; Like getting caught by a tropical rain). This song takes me back to childhood ("Weren't you the kid who just jumped on the merry-go-round?") in much the same way as Frost's poem birches, and yet like Frost is more complex again. If you have ever been alone in a stange town late at night and found the food store to be the only form of entertainment ("I'm a one-man line in a twenty-four hour store") you'll identify with "Take me down". Unlike others writing songs today Ellis IS a poet: this is what gives him the edge over those others. His self-taught guitar style with lilting melodies discovered in the six strings of his altered guitars (Different tunings, Different Strings) have a prosody with his lyrics that can silence a room in performance. Buy this album and expose yourself to art.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Production, December 9, 1999

By	Friend of Devin (Atlantic, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

Let's be clear here -- this is not the live Ellis Paul experience -- this is Ellis viewed through the polished production crystal of Jerry Marotta, adding a different richness to Ellis' polished, direct live performances. His material displays a great mix of sadness with an eye on a brighter future (e.g. "Seven" and "Live in the Now"), lyrcially and musically. Plus, as he likes to joke, the disc includes his one man Grammy category, Best Lesbian Pop Song By a Male Singer Songwriter ("She Loves a Girl"). Finally, track 12 (a hidden bonus) gives you a feel for Ellis' live sound pretty well. He has a live disc scheduled for release in 2000 -- watch for it. (To be fair, Ellis and I use the same producer/engineer.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars still my favorite Ellis Paul CD, June 9, 2002

By A Customer

This remains my favorite Ellis Paul CD, even though it is now four years old....it is still the one I prefer when I need someone to simg me to sleep after a difficult day. His beautiful voice is at its best here, its most unencumbered and clearest as he sings these twelve beautiful, intimate songs....it may not be the usual, crowd-pleasing jocular Ellis (which I also adore), but as I said, for the most part, is still my favorite when I have time to really listen to him and think about what he's saying through his lyrics. A must for any serious Ellis fan.