The Poet in Paula

I have been wanting to write this for sometime now. Finally I have remember to do so. Paula Cole certainly rides the spectrum with this CD "This Fire." From the raspy, but mellow sweetness of "Carmen." The straight talk of "Where have all the Cowboy's gone". Reminds me of a "Fear and Loathing kind of song or 'Thelma and Louise', I don't know which, to the eccentric vocal work of "Mississippi." This CD carries with it a bit of emotional baggage.

She covers all realms. Paula's voice is simply a pleasure to listen to and more of an experience than anything, it's as versatile as anything that I have ever heard. She hesitates not one bit to loosen up and expose her musical soul all the while flashing her theatrical flair. Letting such an immense amount of energy spill out of her songs.It leaves the listener drained ,but soulfully energized. Her falsetto notes are never forced or necessary as much as they are a highlighted feature to her sound.

Although,"This Fire"is probably not as lyrically shocking or as honest as her first CD, this one being a bit more musically enhanced if my memory serves me well. She shows a strong sobering with her words, a more peaceful and somber mood.

"Nietzsche's Eyes" one of my favorites. It unravels such vocal emotion at the end of the song, you almost feel as though you should return for another listen, for fear that perhaps you have missed the entire meaning of the song.
"Road to Dead" (which is actually "Walking down the road to Dead"...if that says anything...), shares it's primal side of heartache. All the while, entertaining the listener with some pretty cool drum beats .

On a much lighter side is "Me." It's one of the most incredible songs I have listened to, I find myself pressing the repeat button each time. You know how sometimes you find a song that makes you so grateful to have a recording of it, that it touches you and it's something that talks only to you. Well, I feel this way about very few songs...This is one! These are lyrics for a woman's spirit. Enough reason in my mind to buy this CD.

I am not the person who is singing ,I am the silent one inside
I am not the one who laughs at people's jokes
I just pacify their egos
I am not my house, my car, my songs
They are only just stops along my way
I am like the winter
I'm a dark cold female
With a golden ring of wisdom in my cave.

Sometimes I listen to Paula and I wonder where Oh where she pulls out the passion to exude such energy. Where does she find those notes? Her voice can be so radical and yet so much peace comes from within her breathless vocals. I absolutely love this CD, because it gives the listener so many different moods. "This Fire" gets 5 stars for vocal energy, emotional expenditure, lyrical composition.

Probably the only down side would have to
be how it was put together musically. Something I can live with, but if you were to remove all vocals, the music would all sound the same and probably wouldn't do much for you.
If you're looking for a high powered vocal and lyrical CD, this is a good one for sure for it gives you all of that and it's a very different kind of album.