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Turn Artist: Paul Colman Trio Label: Independent Length: 13 tracks

Turn

Ok, some of you are wondering what on earth I'm go on about, so I'll explain. The hype accompanying Turn, the sophomore venture of the Paul Colman Trio, has been easily as extensive as that surrounding the albums of the aforementioned bands. Yeah, that might come as a surprise to many of you removed from Australia by an ocean or two. You see, down here, the Paul Colman Trio have achieved amazing feats. Without the aid of a record label, the Trio have managed to top Christian charts, sell out concerts, and build an impressive fan base.

Releasing a follow-up to highly successful Serious Fun must have been a daunting task. Would they just go into the recording studio and put down an album's worth of Serious Fun songs? Or would they try to do something a little different? Or perhaps something which completely abandons the Serious Fun sound.

This CD is not Serious Fun, nor is it completely different. Building on trademark Trio's characteristic acoustic guitar, Colman's engaging vocals, and strong harmonies,--the new songs incorporate more electric guitars, bigger bass sounds, and louder drums. A definite departure from the folk pop of Serious Fun, but not a complete abandonment. The Paul Colman Trio show a maturing of their sound on Turn.

In effect, Turn is a rock/pop album. A very well done, classy rock/pop album at that. The title track exemplifies the new sound. The first verse finds Colman singing while strumming the acoustic guitar, much like the way fans have come to know as the Trio's sound. Charging full-steam into the chorus, the acoustic fades and the electric guitar, the four-string and the drums let loose, while the Trio harmonize on vocals. All this results in a tune that retains the catchiness of past songs, but with more edge.

"Turn" can be used to sum up the album as a whole, but it does not set the trend. There is enough variety to keep the record from becoming tedious including "The One," a playful tune combining surf-rock, funk, and a stint where Colman raps. Similiarly, the closing  of "Pray," is different from the rest of the project. Ironically, it is also the song most reminiscent of the music on their debut, incorporating two acoustic guitars and being a fairly simple acoustic pop cut.

Some things never change, though. Colman is still the primary lyricist, having either written or co-written every song. He covers a variety of subjects, from premarital sex ("Same Mistakes"), to being an outcast from both the secular and Christian community ('In The Middle'). There are worshipful ballads, such as "The Sun, the Stars and the Moon." As with the music, there is a good deal of variety in the songwriting. This also makes the Trio relevant to both Christians (who will be challenged by some of the questions raised) and non-Christians (who will not be 'bible bashed' or insulted).

Like Serious Fun, Turn has plenty of potential for commercial success (the first single, 'Turn', topped Ch. charts during the writing of this review). Thankfully, however, it does not sound forcefully commercial: rather, it comes across naturally, as a group playing music they actually love themselves. It just so happens that music happens to be what goes well on the charts.

The Paul Colman Trio are no Radiohead or U2: they're not out there to make brilliantly progressive music. But I don't think everybody's meant to be progressive, whether in music or life in general. Some of us just need to do what others have done before. But doing that properly is not necessarily easier than being progressive.

So, to bring all this back to the review, Turn will not be getting any awards for most creative album of the year, but it is still a great record. With Turn, the Paul Colman Trio have turned what could have been a boring, uninteresting collection of songs, into 13 tracks of quality music.

Eric Daams 12/20/2000