Benny Paul “My Kind of Normal”
Benny Paul’s kind of normal, is a sort of normality where variety is the norm. At least that’s what’s suggested by the music on his My Kind of Normal CD.
If the only two Paul tracks you ever heard were “Gabrielle” and “Afternoon in the Park”, for instance, you might quickly surmise he is clearly a reserved, acoustic guitar master. This is because Paul plays each of these instrumentals with gentle care. There are also no vocals, as Paul lets his nimble fingers do all the talking.
However, “Gabrielle” is followed up immediately by “Goodbye to Heartache”, which is fast and punky. Is this really the same Paul as on “Gabrielle” and “Afternoon in the Park”? Nevertheless, nothing will prepare you for “Cardboard Box”, one of the strangest Christmas songs to come down the pike in a long time. Over a new wave-y groove, Paul does the equivalent to a vocal pogo as he sings, “All I want for Christmas is a cardboard box.” Granted, this is what many small children might say Christmas morning, if they learned to talk just after birth, of course; after all, how many times have you seen these tiny ones having more fun with the boxes, than with the treasures once stored inside them? But in Paul’s case, this song’s lyric describes a full grown man. Maybe it’s a homeless man. Whoever it is, this guy’s certainly in a strange circumstance.
Things get even stranger with “Six String Jimmy”, which finds Paul singing part of it with an electronically affected voice – the kind oftentimes heard on dance music recordings. This is by no means any dance song, though. Rather, it’s an ode to a rock god of some kind. It also features Paul at his hard rock, electric guitar stringing best, with an extensive lead solo.
One called “This Is Your Song” is also a good one. It has a bit of a blues groove going for it, and is colored nicely with ‘50s-inspired backing vocals. Lyrically, this is a straight-out love song to someone named Rebecca. “This is your song,” Paul croons during the chorus, “Rebecca I love you.” Toward the end of the track, Paul also stretches out with some fine electric guitar work.
For the most part, Paul focuses on love songs much of the time. Sometimes, as on “Goodbye to Heartache” and “Cry When It’s Over”, he is looking back at the end of relationships. Other times, as exemplified by “I Wanna Be Your Man”, Paul expresses a desire to live up to his girl’s high expectations.
Paul even finds room for one spiritual song, too. The second to last track on this 12-song CD, is a tune that combines both Paul’s acoustic and electric guitar skills. Titled “Thank You God”, it’s as open and sincere as Paul’s lyrics about girls. It has a sweet, upbeat feel to it.
This release closes with “It’s All a Little Crazy”, which begins with Paul speaking nonsense words. But when Paul begins to sing about everything being crazy, he’s referring to the good kind of crazy. As he puts it, life is a “story yet to be told.”
Chances are good that Benny Paul’s kind of normal also matches yours. And that’s a fine thing, because Paul’s “yet to be told” story sounds like it’s going to be a good one.
Reviewed By Dan MacIntosh
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