Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Admittedly not writing directly from a personal perspective, it seems that Minneapolis-based artist Paul Christianson writes more towards a place where his audience will feel a sense of acquaintance. Christianson says himself, "I really can't claim any life-altering sob-story as the motivation for my material." On Spilling My Weakness, the singer/songwriter/guitarist streams rather common stories of lost/found love, commitment and break-up, and other oft-worn relationship-based topics - yet, he is nevertheless able to drop it all easily into a tidy, medium-sized envelope; and smartly deliver it to the listener.
The artist's big-dollar promise shows in the title track. With a mix of Dave Matthews-esque guitar phrasing and Jars Of Clay/Duncan Sheik vocal prettiness (his voice is easily stronger than John Mayer's tonal whisper), it's actually surprising that this song isn't already on the radio. A super-tempting pattern introduces "Magnified". Again, a possible straight-up radio hit with a Matthews/Mayer flair to it, what's stirring is hearing a new take on tired, college-rock bounciness.
"What I've Already Found" is a straight-up acoustic pleaser. Heartfelt and drowning, it's not derivative; but here Christianson does wear his David Wilcox and James Taylor influences on his sleeve. Just tell a significant partner "All I want/Is what I've already found/You are my wings/Let's fly into the open sky tonight" and see how far that goes.
Recorded out of the performer's own pocket over 10 days, Spilling My Weakness is fine-sounding for a first effort, engineered nicely by Ev (Soul Asylum, 12 Rods). The songs are fluent, generally well thought out and occasionally moving. The above contrast with pop-songsmiths such as Matthews, Mayer, and Sheik are fully warranted. Christianson is worthy of comparison.
Paul is currently in the studio re-recording some of the songs from this EP while recording new tracks for a potential May 2003, yet-to-be-titled, full-length (with some fine-pedigreed musicians, it seems). With new material and further progress on these tracks, the forthcoming album should be stunning.
- Lauren
Move over John Mayer, there's a new kid in town and his name is Paul Christianson. He's definitely radio-friendly, yet you won't find him there anytime soon as he's still playing the record industry game. Christianson is searching for a label right now, but we'll see his name in the limelight Ð it's only a matter of time.
The Minnesota man's genuine approach, inexhaustible style and authentic take on reality will strike a chord with a variety of listeners. His urbane manner concentrates on an invincible motive which persuades his audience to dream. His innocence will make the girls lose consciousness and the guys will imitate his seductive ways. This is especially evident in "Complete," which expresses the writer's creative and lyrical sophistication.
Paul Christianson may be the front man, but he's got a strong team on his side. The multi-talented musician, Anton Kreisl, offers a diverse array of aptitude on the bass, electric guitar, organ, live and sequenced drums, while also helping on background vocals. Christianson recently acquired a new drummer, Tudd Budich, and a new guitarist, Mark Noseworthy, who adds a provocative guitar solo to the aforementioned "Complete." Todd shows his innovative percussive moves on each track, but stands out on "The Lights." This song illustrates how a woman can mesmerize a man just by turning her love light on.
Each day we listen to music to get us through our busy lives. There are songs that exist only for our happiness and others that motivate us to envision a reachable goal. Paul Christianson captivates all the mixed emotions involved, and organizes them into 12 tracks. It takes a lot of guts to make the leap into the recording industry and I wish Paul and his band the best of luck. - Lindsey M. Keen
Holy moses... What a lovely year of music 2003 is. There are tons and more tons of music sweeping all over us, and Paul Christianson is sure another proof for that. Here we have an artist that is perfect suited for AwareStore.com. You know the place where you can buy artists like Howie Day, John Mayer, Josh Kelley, Ari Hest, Pete Francis, Glen Phillips (from Toad The Wet Sprocket) and hundreds of other cool modern singer songwriters. Paul SURE plays in the same division as the main part of these boys and delivers an album filled with sweet pearls of passion. His voice is a cool mixture of old “boys” like James Taylor and Paul Simon mixed with the new wave of singer songwriters like the just mentioned Josh Kelley, Franky Perez and even some cool Kevin Gilbert vibes. The 20-year old guy deliver 12 songs that all more or less are real cool moments of modern singer songwriter pop. Sure, you have heard it 1275 times before, but Paul is don’ it real fine and the production signed by Anton Kreisl & Ev (Soul Asylum and more) is very solid. So if you are an addict of this sort of music and have CD’s with the artists I just mentioned in the review, you sure have a new one to pay attention to. - Pär
Discography
Paul Christianson – Spilling My Weakness [EP]
Released: September 20, 2002
Paul Christianson [LP]
Released: July 20, 2003
Paul Christianson - The St. Paul Acoustic Sessions [EP]
Released: January 26, 2004
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Paul Christianson may only be 21-years old, but he writes with an intellectual conviction that shadows his youthful career. On his debut LP, Christianson exhibits a songwriting style that demonstrates his talent for thoughtful prose and rhythmic acoustics. Christianson has a skill for writing universal themes in a novel and thought-provoking light. "I really can’t claim any life-altering sob story as the motivation for my material," remarks Christianson. "The only factor that differentiates me from any other 21-year-old is that I happen to write music about the situations that build my life. I want to create a personal relationship with my audience and the best way to develop that rapport is to discuss the factors and feelings that affect our lives."
Inspired by troubadours such as James Taylor, Tom Petty, and Paul Simon, Christianson wrestles with the world in his personalized and sincere manner. The track "Spilling My Weakness," is a time capsule of reflection set in the thirty minutes that follow a relationship break-up while "What I’ve Already Found" is a graceful declaration of contentment that brightens the soberest of moods.
Christianson admits that his astute writing style has been significantly influenced by his sustained academic interest. "Education has always been an important facet in my life and subsequently expands the foundation from which I can draw," remarks Christianson, who incidentally was the valedictorian of his graduating high school class and who was a regular name on the Dean’s List while at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN.
Christianson spent the past year heavily touring the Upper Midwest with a four-piece band composed of very gifted, well-educated musicians with degrees from Berklee College of Music, San Francisco School of Performing Arts, and St. Olaf College. With an increased presence garnered from word-of-mouth marketing and Internet exposure, Christianson is approaching 2004 on a national scale. He has recently shared the stage with artists such as Jason Mraz, Ari Hest, Matt Wertz, Glen Phillips and Nickel Creek.
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