This Artist's review is published by, established Author and Chief Editor of GEMM.com - Robert Benson



From his humble Motown upbringing, Michael Paul's musical journey has encompassed all the traditional and untraditional stops, from playing with garage bands in the Northeast, to ultimately heading to California to front the band "Deep Under Green," an angst-filled group that blasted the West coast with full-fledged grunge-rock.

When that medium burned out--fueled by debt and mismanagement, the band members went their separate ways. But, Paul invested in his own recording equipment and has "worn all the hats" for the next two releases as a solo artist-releasing "Repetitive Motion Syndrome" and the EP, "Reach," as Paul found a new vehicle for his emotion-the piano. The EP "Reach" proves that this master balladeer belongs with select company.

"Reach" is a powerful release, punctuated by Paul's expressive voice and world view lyrics played exclusively with piano and voice. The title song is an unparalleled experience of music and sound with brooding lyrics and pounding piano parts. The soulful singing of "Try As I Might" blends perfectly with the astute lyrics and is played with melodic precision. The self-prophecy of "Hollywood Postcard" reveals Paul's inner thoughts and is intensely sung with a bruised, yet tender voice and message.

In July of 2007, Paul released the single "Natural Disaster," which saw it's world premier exclusively on the Internet Radio station www.ilike2rock.net which ran an inventive promotion with clues and tips for the listeners; all ending on 07/07/07 when they played the song once an hour to accommodate different time zones (the song played at 7 p.m.).

Michael Paul's career has come to a perfect full circle and this singer-songwriter is playing all the right notes. Let's hope that his engaging lyrics and intellectually stimulating music never breaks away from the circle as he continues his musical journey.