Paul Maged

For fans of Green Day, Queens of the Stone age and a healthy serving of straight up, loose and fun rock & roll, Light Years Away, the new album from singer-songwriter Paul Maged is a must listen. When you listen to Light Years Away, you cannot deny Maged’s superior knack for writing catchy, driving rock anthems. For those familiar with his work, this comes as no surprise. The song “Image” from his previous album, Diamonds & Demons landed him a spot as a finalist in alternative rock category in the 2014 Great American Songwriting Contest.

There comes a time when listening to Light Years Away that you’re so entranced in the melodies, so in synch with the rhythm section that it’s less of a listening experience and more of a full body one. Through the album’s seven tracks, there’s hardly a dull moment; in fact, you’re left wishing there was more. The title track encapsulates what Paul Maged does best: Rock!

The song’s opening guitar riff brings you back to the days of Weezer’s Blue Album. The guitars crunch and sustain without sacrificing any of the high end. Every note of every chord counts- no note left behind. The verse melody shines and soars. The backbeat of the song bounces, playfully keeping the warm guitars pulsating just enough to keep your head nodding. The use of doubled-vocals enriches the already strong melody, demanding you to sing along. Maged mentions the “push and pull of gravity” in the songs chorus but is the execution of the push and pull of the song’s dynamics that really make it pop.

The album’s standout track is the opener, “PC Police.” The track is a great throwback to Clash-era rock with an almost modern Jello Biafra style, rapid fire delivery. “The PC Police are Coming After Me.” In today’s day and age, can you think of a better, tongue-in-cheek lyrical reference. With the manic vocals and edgy, 90’s alternative rock arrangement, Maged struck gold on this one. It’s the kind of melody that the film Inception based its basis on. It gets in your head. It grows. And grows. Until you can’t get rid of it. When you combine that with our world today, you have all the makings of a hit on your hands. This is a song that deserves to be spun on alternative rock stations. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel. It just spins the wheel in a new, modern direction.

Light Years Away recognizes its influences and does them justice without merely ripping them off. Rock music is at its best when it’s fun. Everything doesn’t need contain grandiose themes and overarching narratives to leave their mark. Sometimes you just want good, solid, fun rock & roll. Bombastic drums, loud guitars and melodies you wish you were clever enough to craft. That’s what you get here! - Alternative Nation

Singer-songwriter Paul Maged says he’s influenced by Green Day and Pearl Jam, but to the experienced ear you can clearly hear a mix of many of yesteryear’s musicians in his work. And it’s good stuff.

His new album, Light Years Away blends the best of many of the musicians of today and yesterday. It’s a diverse piece of work. The range goes from punk to power pop anthems to country rock and it’s an amazing achievement.

“PC Police” is a fun song that illustrates how we all feel about being hassled with rules; “Moment of Strength” is inspiring, the title track “Light Years Away” comes from strength, “Ashley Jane” shows off Maged’s diversity and ability to sound like James Taylor and Seals and Croft.

“Half Moon” is a somber and haunting guitar piece, “Like a Stone” is a tribute to Chris Cornell and it’s a downer but then death isn’t a happy subject. The album is bookended with reprise of Moment of Strength.

His first album, Diamonds and Demons, showed Maged’s chops as a songwriter and perhaps this record was released to show his voice. Because Maged’s songs are great but it’s his voice that’s the star of the show here on this album.

While he has assembled an interesting album that clearly shows his ability, he’s so diverse, be fits into no single category. Is he trying to get a sync licensing deal perhaps? Well with the range of creativity it would not be surprising. The work is commercial in an acceptable way. This is a musician that clearly loves his subjects, loves his work and loves life in general. - East Cost Rocker

NYC Artist, Paul Maged, has delivered a collection of tracks that carry the potential to be jukebox classics with profoundly rich production and musical flexibility throughout his latest release, ‘Light Years Away’. Strumming smoothly into the first track, “PC Police”, Paul Maged coincidentally emits a vocal prowess that is akin to Sting and The Police back in their ‘Ghost in the Machine’ days as he lyrically explores a cunning spin on the current societal disconnect between law enforcement and individuals leading their everyday lives.

“Moment of Strength” is the second track in which keyboard techniques and the tricks up Paul’s sleeve come to light over a lyrically fluid delivery highlighting the bewitching sense of freedom that he feels through gathering the inner knowing that he has jolted out of slumber and joined the land of the living in his own idiosyncratic and peculiar way.

Paul is a student of life throughout the third track, “Light Years Away”, which blazes an instrumental fire through fear while lyrically practicing widespread acceptance of radical ideas while humanity’s wheels.

“Ashley Jane” is the fourth track which slows it down with a Southern feel that is empowering, poetic and pure as Paul lyrically attempts to pull out the inner divinity of the woman that he desires while reminding her that she is the golden ticket that grants him the desires of his heart.

The fifth track, “Half Moon”, is an acoustic treasure chest that lyrically performs autopsies on Paul’s inner nonsense to gain a clearer understanding of manic episodes, mood swings and fluctuations in thought that externally create a sea of self-created destruction.

“Like a Stone” is the sixth track that is a dialed down and ethereal remake of Audioslave’s 2002 classic that is a soulfully delicate ode and celebration of the life of Chris Cornell.

Closing out with “Moment of Strength (Reprise)”, Paul concludes with repetition that serves as an affirmation and the lyrical acknowledgement that life is a series of ups and downs that remind you to remain teachable and open to every moment which in turn is the route to take to reach a prodigious level of thought and perception. - Tattoo

Paul Maged is very open when it comes to his influences — a broad spectrum of artists that includes Muse, Billy Joel, and Mumford & Sons — and the diversity is reflected in his multi-faceted and genre-explorative music. Though there is no shortage of pop-punk rapid-fire vocals, the tone of the songs on Light Years Away have the ability to shift from satirical and upbeat to heavy and haunting.

Light Years Away kicks off with a song that is as satirical as its name suggests. “PC Police” has driving guitar lines and a strong sense of melody that carries forward into tracks like “Moment of Strength” and “Half Moon”. “Moment of Strength” uses this doubly, with the two-hitter hooks on both the verses and the chorus (a triple hit if you count the haunting melody that comes with the words “Nothing changes at all”; repeated as a reprise on the final track). “Ashley Jane” is a stark shift to folk-pop that retains those fast-paced lyrics. There is no doubt Maged is an artist with a lot to say.

In a powerful tribute to Chris Cornell, Paul Maged takes on Audioslave’s “Like a Stone” and gives it a delicate touch, opening with a piano line and moving carefully throughout. Maged pulls well from his influences, but shines when he creates something huge and uniquely emotional. “Half Moon” is the highlight of the album and uses perfect timing to grow something from acoustically haunting to a full-on alt-rock track bound to stir up emotions.

From comedy to mournful tribute, Light Years Away has a little bit of everything that, like most great contemporary art, pulls from a little bit of everywhere. - New Sick Music

Back in 2014, I told you about Paul Maged, a socially conscious rocker with an edge and a bone to pick. His new single, “The Wild,” kicks it up a big ol’ notch and finds Maged at a loss, exploring the moment when a human loses the ability to reason and lets rage and emotion take over. Maged as the narrator takes on a sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde persona — someone who knows he’s completely out of control but can do nothing about it. And, to be honest, it doesn’t really sound like he wants to.

From your average rocker, the track would be enough of a head trip, but from someone like Maged who has a history of striving to raise social awareness and shove a mirror in front of the populus’ face, it’s obvious that it’s coming from a deep, dark place. Hopefully the whole world takes heed — who knows what Maged will do next. - Popdose: written by Allison Johnelle Boron

Paul Maged’s previous album, Diamonds & Demons, was a successfully nostalgic take on accessible alt-rock, inspired by influences like Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and Elvis Costello, all while exploring a “wide range of concepts, social issues and universal themes such as climate change, human warfare, religion and today’s ever evolving society.” Album highlight “Look At Me” was featured back in 2014, when the album released, and stood out for its infectious piano and guitar-driven alt-rock approach. While hardly a stylistic revolution, it showed Maged as a quality songwriter with plenty to say.

New track “The Wild” shows many of the same strengths, with an even more refined and ferociously intense touch; riding initially on a minimalist guitar-and-kick-drum beginning, it quickly ascends into a distortion-friendly rocker with theatrical vocals that remind fondly of both Ozzy Osbourne and Josh Homme at points. The track in general has a style reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age, alternating between grumbling verses and a fiercely infectious chorus with a sturdy distortion-heavy backbone. It’s the most impressive effort I’ve heard from Maged yet. - Mike Mineo - Obscure Sound

Back in 2014, the first year I did monoblogue music, you may recall that Paul Maged’s release “Diamonds & Demons” was my pick for the best album I reviewed during that year. When I did the review I noted, “(T)his is perhaps the best example of straight-ahead rock and roll I’ve come across.”

So when I got word that Maged had put out a new single last week, I was pleased to get the opportunity to take a listen. In “Diamonds & Demons” Paul had a nice share of songs that were somewhat harder and edgier, and this is the path he’s chosen on “The Wild.” As Maged writes, it’s a single that “bridges his last album and his forthcoming album.” Assuming this is so, we may not have to wait a very long time for the new music: according to a Tweet Maged put out on February 20, he is working on the eighth song for the album, a tune he described as “quite Beatlesque.”

So what did I think of “The Wild”? Yes, it’s very edgy and it does rock out. I think some may quibble that he oversings it just a little bit, but bear in mind that he describes the song as one “in which he dives in head first to explore the mind and the brain at the exact moment we lose control; the state of anger and despair we reach when we lose command of reasonable thought.” In that context, being a little frenetic is good and I’m sure he will tone it down for the ballads and pop-rockers he will surely feature on his forthcoming release, whenever it comes out.

So I’ll have to keep an eye out for the next Maged album to see how it stacks up. While I don’t consider singles for my top 5 end-of-year list, if this single is any indication of how the album will be my take would be so far, so very good. - Monoblogue Music

“The Wild”, is the first single released from New York based rocker, Paul Maged since his critically acclaimed album, “Diamonds and Demons”. The song will bridge the gap between that album and his forthcoming one.

His songs are powerful and tend to explore social issues, and world wide themes such as war, climate change and religion. His song, ” Falling Down”, has appeared many times on MTV’s, “Think Again Sex Myths Revealed”.

Maged is an actor and a standup comic as well as a songwriter and singer. Louder Than War gained the opportunity to question Paul in regard to his new explosive single, as well as some of his other projects.

I feel like there is an underlying message in “The Wild”, besides the obvious. What were you thinking of when you wrote the song?

There are definitely multiple meanings to the song. ‘The Wild’ represents our dark side, the place we go to when we lose control of rational thought and enter that state of rage that there is no turning back from. You know you’re in it but there isn’t anything you can do about it at the time. Then when it subsides you’re left with the ramifications of your actions while you were in that state. That is The Wild on a personal, individual level. ‘The Wild’ also represents us, humanity, as a whole, and the dark clouds of hate that hang over us. It embodies war, terrorism and hateful individuals within our own country that do hideous and unthinkable things to innocent people. So it’s two fold in that respect.

I hear a lot of very different genres in your music. How would you define your style?

I suppose to categorize it would be a Modern Rock Singer-Songwriter but the new music I’m writing and recording has a lot of Indie and Alternative Rock/Pop flavors and sensibilities. I like different styles of music and I’ve done a lot in the rock spectrum so I’m now interested in exploring some different genres.

You are a musician, a comedian and an actor, how many voices do you hear inside your head, and what are they saying?

Lol too many at times. And they’re all very critical! I have been focusing on music for over a decade now and it is my main gig so the comedy and acting days are mostly behind me but I will always have the comic inside of me pointing out the absolute absurdity that is our society and the world we live in.

Where do you, or will you be performing in the New York area?

I’ve been doing local gigs in the NY area for a few years now with my band, The Strangers. I forsee that continuing.

Do you write songs from your own experiences, or that of others and what what’s happening in the world around us?

I write a lot from my own experiences. I’ve been through a lot in my life like many people. I lost both my parents way too soon and had 2 homes as a kid because they were divorced and split custody evenly, so from a very early age I didn’t have a “normal” or real “comfortable” upbringing. But I was exposed to experiences I wouldn’t have been exposed to otherwise and I think that prepared me for some of the challenges I’d later face. I’ve kind of had to fight for everything in my life. So it’s been a WILD ride and I think my experiences have helped to shape my music and give it a unique point of view that I hope people can identify with.

I also write a lot about society and the world we’re living in. I can’t help but get angry at what I see with all the negativity and hate in this world. Wars caused by religious zealots. Terrorism in our own backyard. Political correctness. How society has changed. The whole political circus. It all makes me very passionate and inspires me musically. The well of material in these areas will never dry up.

What artists influence you?

Oh so many. Music has been such an important part of my life. It has gotten me through so many rough patches and has saved me in many ways. I feel like a sponge and I’ve just absorbed a lot of different artists and bands. My influences range from Billy Joel to Pearl Jam to Zep to The Beatles to Soundgarden. Elvis Costello is another one from the singer-songwriter spectrum. The Strokes, Muse, Lenny Kravitz, Ryan Adams, Sam Cooke, the list is endless.

What made you decide to become an entertainer? A musician?

I knew I was going to be a performer at a very young age. I was an only child and spent a good amount of time alone being creative. I always considered myself a writer first, and still do. I was writing song lyrics and melodies to songs when I was about 10. I also studied comedy very early on and began performing skits in high school that were very successful. So I always had this back and forth dynamic with music and comedy. I knew I could write and perform both. When I moved to NY I had to scratch the comedy itch and did that for several years but I kind of exhausted that and subconsciously just started writing music on the keyboard. Then my Dad passed away and music became a form of therapy for me and I threw myself into it and I haven’t looked back since. I’m at the point where it’s the songwriting that inspires me, not the performing. I’ve been performing my whole life and right now I’m very much focused on expanding and challenging myself as a songwriter. Performing to me is a very cool but quick high and there’s a lot of baggage that comes with it. The process of songwriting and recording is far more fulfilling for me.

What’s after “The Wild”?

I have been working on my follow up album to ‘Diamonds & Demons’ for a year now and we’re getting close to completion. We have 8 songs recorded and I’d like to get to 12 and then release it. ‘The Wild’ is a nice bridge from ‘D&D’ to the next album. It has more of the rock aspect to it that ‘D&D’ had. My new album will have some rockers on it but also more of a Singer-Songwriter and Alternative feel to it. We’re using varied instrumentation (some harmonica, violin, more keyboard, more piano) to add different textures and layers and the music sounds more lush and full, rather than just crunchy guitars so I’m very excited about it. I’m also grateful to be working with the same producer who did ‘D&D’ and ‘The Wild’, Sean Gill, so there’s a level of continuity there that is important and we’re all upping our game to the next level. Dare I say, it will be epic. - Eileen Shapiro - Louder Than War

Paul Maged has a hyphenated business card, filmaker - actor - stand up comic but I get the feeling that rock star might be his most prized persona. I don't know to what degree he has been successful at any of his incarnations and even how one measures success but to me success is living your dreams and Paul seems to be doing just that.

When I heard his latest rocker The Wild I didn't know what to make of it. It certainly is a good rocker and Paul has a true retro rocker vocal performance. The song falls somewhere in between classic Metallica and Night Ranger and before you dismiss it, listen to it a few times and it will get into your head in a deeply fun way. At the same time I say this I realize that it does kind of fall into that nostalgic rock thing. It is retro and somewhat kitschy in the Sam Flax sort of way but then Flax's take on modern music like his 80's drenched Fire Doesn't Burn Itself is addictive. So much so that it graces the Grand Theft Auto Soundtrack. Similarly, The Wild propelled by tasty guitar licks and Maged's supremely rocked out vocals will have you listening to it over and over again, maybe while wearing a leather jacket and white sneakers.

There is a niche for this kind of (dare I say) throw back sound and any enterprising video game designers should be listening hard to Paul Maged. - AmericanPancake.com - Rob Donker

Out of all the music I’ve reviewed in the several months I’ve been regularly reviewing albums, this is perhaps the best example of straight-ahead rock and roll I’ve come across. There aren’t a lot of studio tricks, thumping bass and drums, or any of the other fluff which seems to define rock these days. “Diamonds & Demons” is pretty much simple and no-frills for most of its 16 songs, a number which clocks the collection in at about an hour.

Based out of the New York area, at certain times Maged’s vocals and the fact he plays piano and keyboard throughout the album can elicit thoughts of another New York-based piano man named Billy Joel. But this compilation is much more guitar-based, with keyboards playing a secondary role.

To use an example of this, here is the leadoff song and first single, Look At Me. The video has Maged simply as singer, with a slightly different backup band than the group credited on the album. Featured in the video is Maged’s touring band, if you will, called The Strangers.

Overall, the song has a great hook, witty vocals, and plenty of appeal. It could be on your local rock station tomorrow and many would want more. Images, Last Days, and the title track also share many of those same characteristics, with overdubbed background vocals adding a different touch on Images and I’m Okay, while Paul gets a little more political on the third track, Cause & Effect. So where is peace anyway? (It’s on the 45-second outro, which I believe was added at the end of the last track.)

The first six songs are a sextet of hook-heavy rockers throughout but track seven, Blind Faith, starts in a different direction as the keyboards take over on the intro, returning in different form on the bridge and resuming for the closing bars. It’s just enough variety to make the listener perk up, and smooths the transition so that Annastasia, with its added accordion, isn’t as jarring. After all, life is what you do with it, as Paul sings.

Maged gets a little bit of an attitude on Human Warfare, one of the hardest rockers on the album. It’s tempered a little with some slower sections but as a whole it’s quite heavy, just like the next song Love & Loss In The Western World. The latter slows down briefly in the middle, but cranks back up in time.

Toward the end we get more of a musical grab bag. Lyrically My Dear Love is quite well-constructed, but may have worked better in the acoustic manner in which it began. It would be interesting to hear an unplugged version to match up with the lyrics better, much as the piano-based Somber Song was done. I’m Gone is the one which comes closest to the sound exhibited on the album’s opening half-dozen songs.

One thing I gleaned from reading up on Maged’s band is that there were originally going to be 14 songs on the CD, but last summer “a new punk rocker has been born” which I’m guessing was Not Complicated. The sixteenth song, properly described by Maged as a “bittersweet ballad,” turned out to be the closing track 64th & 1st.

With 16 songs, there’s always at least one which doesn’t work that well. Going for the tropical vibe on Paradise Island makes it the weakest link as the parrothead trend is somewhat played out. But Maged limits the damage to just that one song, making the collection one worth having.

It’s getting to the time of year where annual Top 10 lists begin to be created. Since I don’t have monoblogue music every week (and only started in March) ten may be a little much, but certainly a top five is in order. And unless something comes and blows me away in the last two months, I would put this album squarely in that top five. Despite a couple weaknesses, this is the type of album which could push Maged and his band from being a local New York City act to at least a good regional status. All they need is the wherewithal to make a tour of it and hit some clubs along the East Coast, and the music can do the rest.

While I had access to a private review copy, those who want to check out a few sample tracks can go to Maged’s website and listen to four songs. That way you don’t quite have to just take my word for it; instead you can listen for yourself. - Michael Swartz

A lot of singer/songwriters pen songs with a conscience. But, unless they’re Bruce Springsteen, rarely do those tunes mix catchiness and a playful vibe with a biting edge and in-your-face social commentary. NYC’s Paul Maged, however, manages to achieve that tall order, rightfully earning his name a place next to Springsteen’s when describing his music.

Maged’s sophomore effort, Diamonds and Demons, navigates through climate change, human warfare, and religion, while never losing its rock ‘n’ roll soul. Though it feels raw in its production, that treatment lends itself both to Maged’s lyrics and his voice, that of a sometimes-actor/comedian. In lead single “Look at Me,” Maged takes on the younger generation’s apathetic disconnection and name-checks Wall Street (pretty appropriate when considering that Diamonds and Demons was in its infancy during the massive Occupy protests in 2011).

On the album’s titular track, Maged incorporates some good ol’ hard-driving rock, while the album’s other 16 tracks fluctuate between spiritual psychedelia (“Images”), power ballads (“I’m Gone”), and downright beautiful and soulful (“Annastasia”). Though it hits a few rough patches, Maged’s powerful voice is the glue that holds the album together and creates a cohesive package that any fan of modern rock can appreciate.

If you’re looking for mindless, synth-saturated, indie rock or power pop, this isn’t the album for you. If you are, however, bored to tears over that exact sound, then good news! Fresh, invigorating and even educational, Diamonds and Demons breathes new life into what some said was a dead genre. But, Paul Maged proves rock ‘n’ roll isn’t dead; it just needed a reason to get out of bed in the morning. - Popdose.com - Allison Johnelle Boron

10 out of 10
Paul Maged's self-released Diamonds and Demons operates within a clearly defined tradition. This is lyrically driven guitar rock with a strong activist streak. Maged sweetens his social themes with appealing melodic elements, energetic guitar riffs, and writes big choruses begging for audience participation. Another critical part of the presentation is the production's crackling immediacy. Every song feels live and has the sonic punch of a band playing a few feet away. Despite Maged's verbal facility, his earnest passion sometimes steers the lyrics into dogmatic or prosaic territory. It is far from a fatal flaw and one many listeners will endure for an artist committed to pouring himself into every song.

This is Maged's finest quality and the album wastes no time introducing us to it. The blazing opener, "Look At Me", is a stinging three-chord rebuke of vacant personalities searching for any kind of celebrity they can claim. "Images" has an inventive arrangement moving freely between stomping rock and quasi-reggae passages. Maged's lyrics seem to struggle with a desire to rail against perceived stupidity and injustice against a wider, poetic scope. "Cause and Effect" is a rousing call to action with a strong environmentalist slant. The beautifully emotive vocal Maged delivers on "Last Days" marks it as one the album's greatest moments. A gut-wrenching guitar solo and superb drumming helps stress the song's dramatic potential.

The title track, "Diamonds and Demons", is an energetic romp and has an undeniably punk rock aesthetic filtered through Elvis Costello. Maged takes a distinctly hard-nosed approach with the lyrical content and it pays off with his biting vocal. "I'm Okay" has the hallmarks of a radio hit - a catchy tempo, a resonant theme, and another cool, confident Maged vocal. The fragile opening of "Blind Faith", Maged alone with a piano, morphs into an appealing mid-tempo rocker slightly marred by lyrical predictability and heavy-handedness. Shimmering folk is a wise change of pace at this point in the album and "Anastasia" is perfect for the spot. The hint of the personal here, shorn of any wider concerns, cuts through quicker than any number of well-turned phrases aimed at the larger world. "Human Warfare" is another nod to Maged's punk influences and the dark lyrical turn towards social concerns gains added power from the song's firmly personal frame of reference.

"Love & Loss In The Western World" might initially shock listeners with the reverb soaked guitar riff seemingly ripped off a doom metal album. There is nothing else on the album like this violent, plodding dirge and it ranks as one of Maged's best marriages of lyric and music. "Paradise Island" is pure power pop with jagged guitars and busy drumming. The incorporation of ambient beach sounds, like squawking birds, with the music makes the track feel like some surreal Jimmy Buffet cover. Maged turns towards his folk influences again for "My Dear Love", a sly and sensitive song with more than a hint of the personal. The music's seamless movement between its different sections and the tightly written lyrics makes it easy to appreciate Maged's gift for structure. Maged indulges us with another slamming rocker in "Not Complicated" that throws one wild swing after another aiming to double over a heedless world. It works better than earlier songs of its ilk because it refrains from the same shadow of mild self-righteousness cast over other lyrics.

The elegiac atmosphere pervading "Somber Song" is immediately moving. Maged tempers his youthful energy with a tasteful arrangement never cheapening the experience with overwrought backing. It is another of the album's best tracks because the listener is hearing Paul Maged completely unfiltered and unburdened by worldly concerns. "I'm Gone" takes the listener back to breezy, exuberant rockers and anthemic choruses tailor-made for radio play. Maged's lyrical strengths are in full evidence as well. Diamonds and Demons closes with "64th & 1st", another personally flavored tune that is a heartening choice for the final song. It provides the listener with a final, unadorned glimpse of the beating heart behind the man's talent.

Satisfying Paul Maged's artistic ambitions will never be easy. This writer wants to and plans on going everywhere with his songwriting. Nothing is off limits or out of reach. His talents are spilling over on Diamonds and Demons, occasionally unrefined, but blazing with the unquestionable fire of an artist grasping the full extent of their powers. - Musicemissions.com

Paul Maged's Diamonds & Demons

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Singer/songwriter Paul Maged takes on an array of topics with his sophomore release, Diamonds & Demons. Among 17 songs, Paul utilizes his skill for making modern alternative rock coupled with sarcatic and biting lyrics to attain a theme of society's need to change. The starter "Look At Me" examines the greed and better than others ideal that the current generation has as a whole. Maged conceives that it is a collective consciousness and not necessarily common to one group and not another. On "Cause & Effect," Paul muses on making things happen in one's life and having fervor to make it happen whereas with the title cut, he takes on an Elvis Costello sound and explores a unique take on social issues.

"Human Warfare" takes on a similar connotation as Maged looks into the many distinctions between groups and the overwhelming similarities that each group has. Paul in essence would like to know what the point of the fighting is all about, really given such profound similarities. With "Somber Song," Paul goes into himself and looks at his own ideas and ideals about what is and what shouldn't be. The finale, "What Is Peace" is as plain as one can get in song. Maged is looking for peace and wonders who else does and if society were to achieve it would we know what it is. It is roughly a few seconds, but is a fitting close to an album that takes on some controversial dilemmas.

Paul Maged acknowledged that some of his greatest influences are Green Day, Pearl Jam and Billy Joel along with several other classic rock bands and artists who tackled meaningful subjects and struck an urgency in listeners to get involved in making the necessary changes to their world before it was too late. A native of New York City, Maged has experienced a multitude of issues and observed a lot throughout his solo career that makes for an insightfully, provoking sophomore release.

Final Grade: A

Learn more about Paul Maged on these pages:

www.paulmaged.com
www.facebook.com/paulmagedmusic
www.twitter.com/themagedman - Examiner.com

On Soundcloud, Colleenstracks is delighted with the opening line of “Look at Me”: “Good morning miss sunshine who are you gonna walk on today haha☺.” I’m with Colleen, Paul Maged is a hell of a wordsmith and he’s nailed that bitch to the T. We all know that bitch, right.

On Maged’s latest record Diamonds & Demons, he embeds a sense of humor in his sharp observation of the world. From rampant narcissism to war, Maged’s voice is the Roger Daltrey (the streamlined Tommy version) of now…if he had the wicked wit of Keith Moon and the evangelism of Elvis Costello.

The whole of Diamonds & Demons is craftily light considering the weight of the messaging. Maged can deliver some heavy thoughts while keeping it catchy as is noted on “Last Days” and “Human Warfare” or “My Dear Love.”

Being able to make your audience think while playing air guitar on their bloody mary glass. That’s a gift.

Diamonds & Demons is the follow up of Maged’s In My Time, a thoughtful and compelling debut. On this record, Maged’s sound has matured in the best possible way. He continues his special skill of thinking out loud with us, pondering the silly to the sublime, loneliness to the effective use of rage.

You’d think Maged would look like the road-weary musician, fitfully jaded from his journey, weathered in just the right way like the perfect vintage store leather jacket. But, surprisingly, these tunes are pouring out of a young man’s soul, the musical version of Ron Livingston, brothers from another mother sharing an acid wit.

Like a lot of the new artists, Maged’s music defies categorization. A singer-songwriter, sure. But there’s the punk tones, the rock thrang and and an anthem conveyor belt always at the ready. This is what makes modern music so good these days. Fuck the genre. Embrace the music.

So you can either think along with Maged’s lyrics or simply absorb the meaning through the melodies, head banging or cocktail aloft, absorbing your favorite acid rain sunset. It’s your choice. - Scallywagmagazine

Listen up: the world is broken and Paul Maged can’t take it anymore. At least that’s what his sophomore effort, Diamonds and Demons, will have you believing. As a New York based performer who has dabbled in both stand-up comedy and acting, Maged has always been a musician at heart. He studied music at the Boston Conservatory, attended the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York, and over the few years has honed his craft. His lyrics could be described as acidically wry, no doubt his style of stand-up comedy informed this, and there is nothing that he won’t point his machine gun songs at, whether it be spiritualism, terrorism, warfare, Wall Street, and mortality itself.

Diamonds and Demons finds Maged on typically aggressive form. Opener Look at Me is a stirring blast of bile against posers who have no substance. Propelled by the kind of guitar sound that Elvis Costello made popular, Look at Me is a monster of a mission statement. On Cause and Effect, he sings about a killing spree that is all down to God’s will. Sure, the man upstairs is a bit of an easy target these days, yet Maged palms him off as a comedic aside in his quest for world sanity. The title track takes up the mantle left by The Hold Steady, although with a shot of Red Bull instead of scotch. The excellent Blind Faith (which is probably the best song never featured on Scrubs) starts as a sombre piano ballad before morphing into a breezy riff-filled lament on society. Annastasia meanwhile shows that Maged isn’t too cool to talk about love and loss. A tricky ballad that come close to Ryan Adams territory as Maged paints a picture of disenfranchised outsiders and their struggles in the modern world.

Written while on vacation in Cape Cod, Paul Maged has poured his uniquely cynical world view into a of catchy pop rock songs that have you debating the big questions in your head as you sing your bloody heart out. - The CutPrice Jukebox - thethreepennyguignol

“Look At Me” is a solid example of personality flowing through quality songwriting. In this case, the track from NYC rock singer/songwriter Paul Maged shows an outspoken and passionate frontman in the vein of The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn or The Pixies’ Frank Black. Maged’s new album, Diamonds & Demons, explores a “wide range of concepts, social issues and universal themes such as climate change, human warfare, religion and today’s ever evolving society.” “Look At Me”, in particular, takes a biting stab at the prevalent role of greed and elitism in contemporary society, like when he asks a wall street suit which family’s life he plans on ruining today. In addition to this lyrical focus is an infectious alt-rock delivery that’s largely no-frills. Perhaps apart from the nice and quick piano interlude, any garage-rock setup is capable of playing it, and that’s part of the charm, in addition to the central title-repeating chorus. Fun stuff from this NYC-based singer/songwriter, for sure, whose passion and outspokenness reminds me of early Pixies and Manic Street Preachers at points. - Obscuresound.com - Mike Mineo

There is an uncompromising snicker and sneer to Paul Maged’s voice that reminds me of a healthy cross between Elvis Costello and a pissed off Billy Joel. The music itself carries a whip crack urgency that is not unlike Pearl Jam at their most raw. Charged with political stance and thought, Paul Maged second album titled Diamonds & Demons is in your face and carries some strong personal opinions that one might do well to prick an ear to.

To some it may seem that the New York native is taking himself too seriously, but I’m not necessarily of that mind. I think he definitely has some ideas about the change he’d like to see in the world but he’s not hammering it into your skull without a sense of humour present on the other hand. Sure the music sometimes rips and the lyrics are pointed in the direction of social ills, evolution, and the need for change, but I don’t feel the least bit preached at. These are the things he feels passionate about and kudos to him for laying it out bare naked and raw.

Maged, a well seasoned musician who has studied at the Boston conservatory for music and has a rich background in stage and theatrical work brings passion to his craft while his band keeps the pace, laying into their instruments with the ragged glory of care free reckless rock abandon.

“Look At Me” opens perfectly and spreads like a house on fire while Maged wastes no time standing with a hand held high in a fist while the other hits the guitar strings hard.

“Last Days” has a great intro leading into a tune that teeters the edge between The Who and Pearl Jam territory, while “Annastasia” shows off another side of Maged. With its prog-folk-rock sweetness tapping into his inner Gentle Giant/Jethro Tull, Paul Maged again proves that he’s no one trick pony and has as many layers as he has ideas to share.

Maged is a surprising musician who doesn’t rely too heavily on his influences to get the point across, instead using them to bolster his own unique take on scrappy punk, 70’s prog rock, and modern day alternative.

I look forward to seeing this young musician continue to grow and expand into even greater territory. - Nathan Pike - allwhatsrock.com

New York City’s own Paul Maged has released Diamonds & Demons, his sophomore effort.

“Annastasia” features a roiling, deep, acoustic (at least at first) with Maged exploring some certainly Paul Simon sonic territory. I like how the shunky sounding almost off-time snare and fat bass inform the song as it opens up. “Blind Faith” is a plodding, simple piano tune with Maged’s higher range rolling over the top, then guitars come in and we are in tight, poppy territory. Those flangy guitars and quite a good jumping bass riffing push the even faster, super commercial “Cause & Effect” as well as the album’s title track, the latter tune featuring a snappy, sardonic lyric, one of the best here I feel.

I like the single-note riffs, tom tom beats and quick lyric of the very fun “Images,” another fast tune, but one I feel works well with Maged pinning his vocal just perfectly and the Buddhist chanting behind it. The powerful, slightly slower, snappy snare of “Last Days” grooves really well too.

“Paradise Island,” with its island waves-chorus-ode-to-Jimmy Buffet, is truly great stuff and probably the most unique sounding tune here, while I do like the short “What is Peace Exitlude,” again with that chanting, a plucky guitar, but ironically probably the best vocal performance from Maged on the entire album, too short as it is though. Diamonds & Demons is a solid effort. - Ralph Greco - shortandsweetnyc.com

New York City singer-songwriter Paul Maged isn't happy with the way the world is right now, and he's not afraid to let everyone know it.
On Diamonds & Demons, out September 23, he packs a punch with protest songs.

The album kicks off with the lead single, "Look At Me," and brings us to "Images" which is possibly the catchiest song on the record. "Cause & Effect" is the most blatant protest song on the record where Maged talks about climate change in a broad way. "Diamonds & Demons" asks us if the luxurious way we live our lives is really worth the hidden costs, and on "Blind Faith" Maged tells us to think for ourselves.

The lone feel-good song of the record comes on "Paradise Island." With the the help of a horn section, Maged sings about getting away from the distractions of our modern world. On "Somber Song," Maged proves that he has no problem slowing the pace down.
One of Maged's highest qualities is that when he's mad about something, he doesn't quietly sing it like a coffee shop singer-songwriter whose merely providing background music. He gets up in your face about it in a way that would make Rage Against The Machine proud. - DigitalJournal.com - Andrew Ellis

1. “Diamonds & Demons” by Paul Maged

Original review: November 1.

Oddly enough, it’s my first and last reviews of the year that make up the top two, like bookends. But the deciding factor in picking Paul Maged as number one was, as I said in my initial take, “this is perhaps the best example of straight-ahead rock and roll I’ve come across.” Technical wizardry can make up for a lot of faults, but talent has its way of shining through in the end and I enjoyed listening to the album again.

Considering how many fires Paul has had his irons in over the years, it’s hard telling what direction he will take in 2015. I think he’s ready to take the next step musically, but the market and his hard work will do a lot to determine that as well. - Monoblogue music