Feature
Washington Post Review of Ellis Paul Essentials
Friday, June 29, 2007
"Essentials," a career-spanning double CD from veteran singer-songwriter Ellis Paul, has a few newly produced, John Jennings-helmed tracks of previously recorded tunes that help set this compilation apart from most retrospectives. All told there are 34 songs, and in the liner notes Paul explains why each made the cut -- "Sophie's choices," he calls them. Some are more worthy of inclusion than others, especially the narrative ballads and more recently composed tunes, but the range of material is impressive, and Paul's distinctive tenor infuses "3,000 Miles," "All Things Being the Same," "Deliver Me" and other favorites with signature warmth and soul.
•- Mike Joyce