RADAR: Jon Paul

It would be easy to simply lump singer/songwriter Jon Paul into the overflowing well of smart, mellow and likable troubadours who move from one Lower East Side, West Village and Brooklyn acoustic club to another on any given day of the week. Trust us, we've seen our share. But it's pretty obvious from Paul's self-titled EP that there's something special going on here. Produced by Chris Jacobie and mixed by Richie Biggs (The Civil Wars), the six tracks feature backup from Ramy Antoun (Alexi Murdoch) Michael Bellar (Amos Lee) Eric Heywood (Ray LaMontagne). The result is a richly textured but rendered with a light, no-drama touch. Songs like "No Place" and "Dig Down Deep" move briskly with some bright rhythmic snap, without angst or ego-centric fanfare, a sound akin perhaps to a more Americana-influenced Paul Simon. We also like the lazy swing of "Shake My Disbelief", dense organ and accordian fills playing off the sweet twang of a pedal steel, gentle acoustic picking and Paul's easy, unhurried vocals.

 

Jon Paul - "No Place" (from the Jon Paul EP)

Jon Paul - "Shake My Disbelief" (from the Jon Paul EP)