Description
Growing up a huge fan of Steely Dan, Eric Clapton, Tower of Power, Delbert McClinton and other funk/rock/slightly-jazz-flavoured groups helped shaped the songwriting on this sophomore CD project “Pierce My Heart” by The Paul Pierce Project. The first recordings were made in the late 1990s, then a couple more around 2005, and finally 8 new songs were written and recorded in 2012 to round out this 13-song album. Singer/Songwriter Paul Pierce plays drums, the occasional piano and guitar track and finds a way of creating a sound that is hauntingly retro, ala late 70s pop rock, while bringing an uptempo fresh approach to the production. A couple of the tracks are quirky, with tongue-in-cheek references to America’s most famous stars, the paparazzi, and their attempts to outwit each other, while other songs dive into broken marriage, too much wine and song, “love gone good,” and a sometimes childlike view of life in general. The greatest parts of this project are the performances by the key musicians who brought their A-game to the studio while always remembering this is an Indie project, thus affording everyone the freedom to experiment, express, and emote their way through chord structures that seldom follow standard practice. This last statement can easily be explained as the result of music written by A DRUMMER! And not JUST a drummer, but a drummer who spent many years playing different styles of music which granted him the freedom to “add a measure” here and there when it felt right. Country music has taken that approach for decades, and often when it felt like a phrase was finished, the song writer would invariably “add another measure.” Just sayin’. So when you dive into Pierce My Heart be prepared to enjoy solid grooves, creative solos, interesting vocals, and a strong story behind each song.
