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The Paul Colman Trio is a popular Australian band, recently named that country’s Artist of the Year by a major sales chart. Their American debut, New Map of the World, has a lot going for it, including Monroe Jones as producer, early radio success with "Turn," and a high-profile slot opening for Third Day on the Come Together Tour but does the album live up to its advance billing?

"Turn" starts things off with a radio-friendly upbeat groove and a lyrical urge to "turn this life around," wondering, "why does it take a tragedy to bring us all together?" "I Dream" mixes Shawn Mullins-esque spoken word with a pop-rock chorus, and the confessional "Africa" remembers "Africa, I came to change you / but instead you changed me."

New Map’s few weak spots come when the band drops into clichéd territory.. "Fill My Cup" asks God to "fill my cup to the top with running water," which is nice, but we’ve heard it a thousand times before. "Love Me More" enters the same territory, saying "there’s nothing I could do to make You love me more." Once again, both the lyrics and music are the same as most other pop songs out there.

The last two cuts redeem whatever problems the album may have. "The Killing Tree" speaks of the cross with a haunting lyric and melody. Paul Colman’s vocals are at their best on this cut, brooding and sad at the same time, leading the listener to a place of turbulent reflection. The song superbly captures the mood and feeling as Jesus walked the road to the cross. And "Lullaby" whispers over an acoustic guitar, speaking of redemption and rest before breaking into a soft chorus of hallelujahs.

The Paul Colman Trio has crafted a pop-rock album that stands a cut above the rest due to strong songwriting and pop hooks. A welcome addition to the CCM scene.

John Wilson   5/12/2002

As a rule, the albums that listeners perceive as debut efforts are actually the last link in an oftentimes long chain of successively more popular earlier efforts.  Two projects into his solo career, Australian singer Paul Colman recruited bassist Grant Norsworthy and drummer Phil Gaudion to form the Paul Colman Trio in late 1998.  The first of the group's four indie projects, 1999's Serious Fun, caught the attention of Third Day's Mac Powell who offered the trio an opening slot on the Australian leg of their tour that year.  The follow-up record, Turn, helped net the trio the Rock Across Australia Chart's Artist of the Year award in 2000, while a twin set of acoustic and electric live albums repeated the feat the following year.

For their major-label unveiling, New Map of the World, the group continues in the tracks of the energetic pop/rock arrangements that informed its indie efforts.  "Run" and the equally moving album-opener, "Turn," both fall at a point between the enlivening, anthemic choruses of Sonicflood and the sprightly acoustic pop of the Waiting and FFH.  "Sun-Stars-Moon" features similarly crisp acoustic guitar textures for its spot-on essay on humility and discipleship.  And "Africa" mixes things up nicely with its orchestral flourishes and appealing array of major-to-minor chord changes.  The group shows equal dexterity on its ballads, deftly offsetting the shimmering harmony work of "The Killing Tree" with an engagingly folksy inflection.  In the same way, the simple, sing-along melody and sparse, worship-oriented lyrics of "Fill My Cup" instill the composition with an austere sort of elegance.

But while the bulk of New Map makes a pleasing first impression, the lion's share of the release winds up wading in fairly nondescript musical waters.  And, while the band delivers its messages with a commendable sincerity and enthusiasm, tracks like "Sun-Moon-Stars" (Did you fake a grin/ And feel you lose when you win) and "Your Sweet Voice" (I love you/ It's all right/ I'll lead you through tonight) nonetheless highlight the group's tendency towards lyrical glibness.  In fairness, the greater part of the album stacks up positively against most of what currently inhabits both the pop and inspirational Top 20.  And, given the band's ostensibly copious musicianship and zeal, the live show stands to be a rousing and uplifting affair, indeed.  But, the album itself, though certainly stirring, falls just shy of hitting the mark for those who require greater than average portions of innovation and depth in the music that they listen to.

Bert Gangl 6/16/2002

The release of New Map of the World marks the Paul Coleman Trio's first label release as well as their venture into the American market.  This threesome, which hails from Australia, has released four independent CDs and just recently signed with Essential Records.

While this album is a solid acoustic-pop/rock offering, it does not offer much that stands out from the crowd.  The album is well produced, has a rather pleasing sound, and flows well as a whole, which gives a good first impression.  However, after the final notes of the well chosen closing track, "Lullaby," have sounded it is rather apparent that something is missing -depth.

There are a number of songs which begin to explore interesting images and concepts, but unfortunately most of them slip into trite lyrics and never really achieve their full potential.  "Sun-Stars-Moon" makes the statement "I want to be the moon 'cause it reflects the sun, don't want to be the star that shines on everyone," which seems intriguing, but the rest of the lyrics fall down on the job and never hash out the details or further the image. It's as though a provocative phrase was found and a song was quickly thrown
around the catchy chorus; it just doesn't seem complete.  There are many hook filled tracks that keep you singing with their memorable choruses, but this lyrical problem plagues the album from song to song.  Another notable example happens in "Selfish Song" where references to historical figures, such as Hitler and Stalin, are mixed with the concepts of "the terrible two' s" and selfishness.  Then the question "why did they nail Him upon a tree?" is answered with "'cause He said, everyone is singing such a selfish song." Not only does the juxtaposition of political jargon and commentary on human selfishness fall flat, but the simplistic answer to such a weighty question seems pat and presumptuous.

Despite the lyrical issue, this recording offers some enjoyable sounds and interesting arrangements.  In "Africa" the trio adds an African drum sound to the mix to give an appropriate feel, and the use of strings throughout the album adds an appealing layer to keep the listener interested.  The band has a sound that fans of label-mate Third Day will enjoy and appreciate, and the recent tour which included both of these bands was indeed a good fit. 

Overall the album is pleasant enough to listen to, but the lyrics keep it from being one that will satisfy in the long run. 

Trilisa M. Perrine 7/11/2002