Benny Paul has mixed classical guitar mastery, alternative-punk style of vocals, folk poetry with a heart of bluesy country, and somehow produced a solid rock album.  I hope that is adequate, there are so many styles going on here it is difficult to discern any single influence.  The album My Kind of Normal stretches the fabric of the time-space continuum by synergizing so many great influences, that a style unique to Benny Paul is distinguished by range and ability. From raw screeching guitar solos to subtle classical melodies, his music is an exciting still undefined indie worthy of tearing up college radio around the world, and beyond.  The song Are You Happy especially hits home as a sure-fire hit on that scene.  The punk guitar and vocals conjure the spirit of the Sex Pistols, if Paul is a bit less vulgar and gives more sensible advice lyrically.  This kind of album is incredible for the massive extent and reach of artistic expression; one track your imagining moshpits and the next song it’s more like a folk jam-fest.  This is not normal.  This is Benny Paul’s normal, and life just wouldn’t be as interesting without such estranged perspectives.

Lyrically the subjects can range from love and misfortune, to striking juxtaposed comedy, when Paul sings “All I want for Christmas is a cardboard box,” it is humorous with stinging irony.  The song itself sounds funny, playful, but the message is poignant.  As cities around the world feel the depression, inner tent-cities have sprung up as my grandparents described the depression.  This is the kind of writing we usually find in Elvis Costello or Eric Clapton, great empathy for the common class, a message to help the poor and an incredible way of introducing painful subjects so that they do not offend, but grab the listener by the heart strings and tug gently to get the message across more effectively.

One must listen closely to Benny Paul’s singing.  His lyrics are brilliant, but his diction is muddy.  This is not a bad thing.  Honestly, it reminds me of a more lackadaisical Michael Stipe, who is -I must confess, a personal favorite- the lead singer of possibly the greatest band of all time, R.E.M.  One can hear the potential bursting from Paul’s voice; however he struggles with note resolution on occasion and has a tendency to mumble that takes a bit of power away from the impeccable guitar.  This may be a similarity between the two vocally.  There are two versions of Just a Touch by R.E.M.; one the familiar release on Life’s Rich Pageant, the other a live studio cut from And I Feel Fine.  The latter version is soft and mostly weaker then the album cut.  The difference is almost shocking, and all it took was a little more power, yet calm relaxed vocals on Life’s Rich Pageant, to boost the song into sensation.  I am highly biased, but this is a good musical example of where Paul’s voice also needs courage.  Sometimes I’m waiting for him to really build the vocals, only to have a soft song all the way through.  But this is a minor critique, the same way I would say I couldn’t understand early Stipe at first.  To put that into perspective, Murmur is still my favorite album, diction be damned.

Just because My Kind of Normal isn’t any sort of pop album doesn’t mean that it won’t be a treasure in your music collection to appreciate in value over time.  The album is indeed a work of art to be studied and enjoyed as the songs grow on you.  Benny Paul’s sense of alternative sound is only strange at first because it is at once, respectful of the past and groundbreaking.  If this is normal, this critic can’t wait to see Paul’s kind of supernormal.

Reviewed by Julian Gorman

Julian Gorman, Reviews 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

Dan MacIntosh, Reviews Benny Paul, My Kind of Normal