Having followed Paula O'Reilly for some years through a collection of excellent singles, #TEAMw21 mistakenly thought we had the measure of what Paula's forthcoming album might sound like. Just how wrong we were as "4 Walls & My Guitar" not only met our expectations but blew them out of the park. Most albums that have already yielded 5 singles might seek to front load the album and then subsequently tail off the quality - but not Paula - having written 5 singles she has more or less just written 6 more to turn the record into something truly special. There is a motivation behind this second spurt of writing which makes itself immediately apparent - so don't go expecting a collection that holds things back, - from the opening track the absolutely explosive "18 Months". Paula is at her most combative, and as it turns out most creative.
This album has proved trickier than most to review because it is very hard to concentrate and get past "18 Months" without feeling the urge to go back and listen to it again. It opens tho a big band introduction of drums, guitars including pedal steel and a sumptuous "Positively 4th Street" organ sound. As they gradually fade back Paula fills the void with a visceral opening verse, delivered with the sort of anger that the words suggest
"18 months and you ain’t called me,
18 months since you were here, Oh what a year,
Talk about kick a dog when it’s down and it’s out
And it’s bruised and it’s battered
Oh talk about kick a girl when she’s out on the street
Tell me now where were you when it mattered?"
The written word doesn't do justice, to how from the words "What a year" the lines are delivered mainly in little 3 syllable bursts.
Paula then finds another gear entirely for the fabulous chorus
"My fingers are bleeding, I’m loosing my voice
I should put down this old guitar but I feel like I have no choice
And all that I am feeling, I don’t know where to start
I got to write you outta’ mind
And sing you out of my heart"
The second verse sees a level of honest introspection, never easy when it seems that everyone could foresee what Paula could not. Paula truly vents her frustration a this with a devastating delivery
"All my friends they saw it coming
And all my family knew the score, Why didn’t I
Listen up or at least have a backup plan
To stop from sinking
Why didn’t I have the strength or the sense
Stop and think ‘stead of reaching for you and my drinking"
Quite possibly one of the best four minutes of country music that you'll hear all year, maybe Paula won't want to release this a single given that the album has already spawned so many and given the nature of the subject matter but it deserves it's place on the Best Of 2024 Lists" come January.
The bridge gives the Paula the time honoured Songwriters route for resolving such matters.
"Gonna’ write the perfect lyric, to tell you how I feel
Open up the flood gate, wash you out to sea"
There's a classic country bar room piano into to "My Piano" and if you thought things were going to get easier you'd be wrong. There's a pained country blues delivery that pulls a great performance from Paula.
"You took my piano, and you don’t even play
You just hit where the heart is, you know me that way
You took old Red Rover, you’ll have to walk him each day
You just hit where the heart is, that’s a cheap shot to play"
There is a definite almost Gospel feel to the spirited chorus
"So how does it feel? To know that I’m not crying over you
Is that what you need? To know that I’m down on my knees? "
It ends on the line "I got nothing more to say" with the piano having the final word.
The third track "Roller Coaster" sees a complete change in sound, this is Irish tinged country, with the fiddle prominent throughout. Lyrically it would seem to be a prequel to the earlier tunes. it still doesn't pull any punches and cleverly the harsh words are out of kilter with the jaunty tune.
"You left me standing in the rain with no umbrella
You set me off without a paddle up the creek
And so you stand here at my doorway no apology
And I curse my knees for going so damn weak
And every ounce of sense I have is saying slam the door
But I can’t hear it for this pounding in my chest
And every voice inside my head is yelling no, no, no
But all this aching in my bones is screaming hell yes!"
This tune finds room for some neat songwriter lyrical touches though
"Here I go again on your roller coaster
You send me up and down you make me go loop-de-loop
It’s like I spent my last 3 dollars I was trying to make the most of
I swear I won’t fall, I won’t fall and I…oops!
Your roller coaster’s one bad habit I can’t kick
But in the end all you do is make me sick!"
The narrative that has been running through the album so far seems to carry on into "Let's Dance", neither a Bowie or Chris Montez cover, instead it's a touching song where a pre arranged wedding date brings back together a couple who had split, stirring up old feelings and memories. Paula's vocals are suitably softened for this one to match the mood
"Let’s Dance, here together
I wanna’ dance a little longer
And I don’t know what you were thinking
Maybe it’s that champagne you were drinking"
The opening batch of songs, possibly side one if it was a vinyl record, concludes with "Hope Springs Eternal". Paula has put us and indeed more importantly herself through the emotional wringer and it is only fitting that this section closes with something optimistic. It opens to a mixture of a strumming electric guitar and organ sound - We find a calmer Paula at ease with herself and that transfers into the recording/
"Better days are coming, I can feel it in my bones
Even though I’ve misguidedly trusted my gut feelings once before
Better Days are coming, we will grow and we will thrive
We will rise from the ashes, we will live and not just survive
I know we’re world weary and all teary eyed
This is a harsh lesson to learn where life’s blessings hide"
The second half off the album sees one of Paula's earlier singles - it is something of an intervention song, confronting someone with some home truths and the stark reality of just what their drinking is doing to them but it must be said it is done with some panache and the lyrics are littered with well thought out lines and possibly an in song debut for Alka Seltzer.
Paula delivers her lines using cold hard facts to make her points while also indicating that things are close to a breaking point.
"One more drink is one more drink too many
One more drop makes your hat just a little too heavy
You say that you would stop but you're not ready .... yet"
The chorus is a litany of the excuses that can be used to have a drink, but Paula closes it quite succinctly with the cutting "that bottle's taking over you"
The second verse sees Paula's tone rapidly change, as she confronts the results the next day - almost spitting out the line - given the events of Side One, this song seems to take on a new gravity.
"You're face is wincing at your daughters laughter
taking Alka Seltzer is the answer
Is this our happy ever after?"
With a bold stirring up front guitar sound throughout and Paula expressing a range of emotions driven from frustration, this was always a quite superior single.
There's a delightful Southern soul sound that comes with "No Questions", that mixture of guitar and organ as Paula addresses contemplating breaking up. The sequencing of this record is definitely well thought out, the opening verses could easily be a logical progression form the previous song.
"I don’t wanna’ live a lie
But I know, I’m not really being fair
I should really say goodbye
‘Cause I know, the feeling isn’t there
I’m not saying that I’ve done wrong
I would never cross that line
But I’m so afraid that I can’t conceal
What goes on inside my mind"
there is a certain verisimilitude to the chorus - it seems totally that this is how things could plaay out
"My heart’s beating faster
My hand begins to shake
This love it is lost but I don’t want your heart to break
Ask me no questions, I’ll tell you no lies
I’ll tell you all you need to hear but don’t look me in the eyes"
The bravery of the earlier verses soon fades though as perhaps the realities of the situation kick in - this leaves Paula as the protagonist trapped unable to find true happiness, unwilling to inflict unhappiness,
"I swear I will be true
I will get him out of my head
Swear it will be you and not him
Lying in my bed."
"Songs I'll Never Sing" details the songwriters dilemma of having a song that is.
"Too close to the bone"
It is possibly a songwriters curse to be woken up with a late night melody that won't go away in the same way that it can also be a relief to be able let feelings out rather than keep them bottled up however if the results never get to see the light of day it seems a little sad. Many of the greatest songs are deeply personal, they just manage to hit a universal feeling that all of us can empathise with. For the moment Paula's are locked away so let's focus on what has been released.
This is Paula at her most Ashley McBryde, she really talks through the song to the explaining it clearly to its audience.
Musically Paula initially sings to a relatively simple musical palette of acoustic guitar, organ and piano yet the overall sound is far richer than that description may suggest. The opening lines detail the need for a creative release into lyric format.
"All of these words spin around my mind - pouring out every line"
Paula's outright openness and honesty definitely creates a bond between singer and listener
"I leave my lyrics on the page
I'll hide it away, hide it away hide it away
My leather bound notebook's
Bursting with words I'll never sing
My head rings with songs I'll never sing."
After the first chorus there is the arrival of gentle percussion and some electric guitar embellishments but it is Paula who holds your interest and we can but imagine her alone in her room pouring over these creations that few if any will ever hear, though as she will remark
"Believe me writing it out is my only therapy"
The backing may increase in volume as the song develops yet each time does it is more than matched by Paula's impassioned delivery which transforms a humble song into a stirring anthem, topped off by the arrival of a fiddle player.
On "Emergency Call"'s release we labelled Paula "The Queen of Americana drama", her songs rarely arrived in anything other than cinema scope, rich in narrative and action, even the cover for this one could be a movie poster. It has also revived a type of song that we've not seen in ages - a true conversational duet.
For "Emergency Call", Paula enlisted the assistance of her then14 year old daughter Molly in a song that has many layers to it. The essence of the song is establishing that there is always someone you can call no matter what, in this case it is the mother who is that person.
Based on a real conversation and no doubt with good intentions this heart to heart, seemingly is well received well at first but quickly goes off the rails
"If you've got a problem and don't know how to fix it
I'll take it to the grave I'll say nothing at all
Have a little trust I don't want you risk it
I don't want to see my little angel fall - always make me be your Emergency Call"
It's a lot to drop on a teenager and Molly's initial reaction is almost to laugh it off with a touch of teenage nonchalance and disdain,
"Mama you know I'm not that kind of girl - I'll never lose control never go to far".
As things progress, there is something of a hurtful pithy put down that assumes that parents cannot relate to the issues of today.
"How would you know? You can't relate - You grew up in another century"
There is a lovely section midway through where Paula and Molly's vocals beautifully contrast
Paula "I won't judge you" - Molly - "Please don't judge me"
Paula "Don't be afraid" - Molly" I'm so afraid"
It all leads to what is both the key line in the song and the reasons behind Paula's concern
"Don't wanna see you make the same mistakes I made"
The final attack on the chorus sees time leap forward, and Molly takes lead vocal as she activates the call she had casually dismissed earlier. For someone so young she is able to give the vocals that sense of reality, of urgency and there is a feeling she that she is in some distress.
Musically "Emergency Call" is unassuming,mainly letting the drama play out up front, and just occasionally puncturing the mix with neat little touches such as the organ that kicks in and lifts things just before Paula and Molly's midway section. a year or so on from it's release - it still retains it's power.
"Speechless" was where we first introduced to Paula and it also still stands up well although when compared to "18 Months" - you can see what a journey Paula has been on with her songwriting.
As "Speechless" begins with its acoustic intro, there is little to hint at the drama ahead, if anything it is a picture of domestic bliss
"You were the one, the one for me
Came alive by your side
I idolised your company"
There's a slightly unusual phrasing that has the effect of luring the listener in as you not quite sure where the song is going next. Paula continues to build up how she felt
"Bursting with pride to be you bride
to wear your ring"
It is only as the band start to kick in that things take a a somewhat downward turn and all is not well
"Didn't know there was something wrong till you called out her name
Then one second I knew I'd be never the same"
At this point the production moves into Lady A mode, big drums prominent fiddle as Paula really lays it on the line. It's a dramatic scenario which sees Paula move through being broken to emerge somewhat stronger and defiant by the end with the affirmation the she will survive.
"This time it's over so don't pretend
I'm in pieces I am speechless but I'll be alright in the end"
It is something of a melting pot of emotions which finds Paula "so angry, so sad so lost at the same time"
There is even time for a full on electric guitar solo as Paula powers out her vocals, the whole effect is overblown and overwrought but it has to be for the vocals to match the instrumentation and as you emerge from this song there is the sense that something dramatic has come to pass.
"4 Walls & My Guitar" closes relatively low key with "Back To You", it's a sad break up song where things have not gone as planned.
"Took a while to convince me
I made a mistake
Surrounding circumstance
Lead me to make or break
Leisurely repenting
A decision made in haste"
In many ways it is the polar opposite of "No Questions", a what might have happened had that person walked out. if finds Paula looking back fondly overlooking all of the faults that would have caused her to leave in the first place.
"The kiss of freedom
Left a bitter after taste
Oh, when I think of you
You’re always smiling
When I dream of you
You’re so beautiful, beguiling
Try as I may to walk away
I don’t know what else to do
Some little thing, it always brings
My mind running back to you"
It is a sentiment rarely expressed in a song and as such this the one song that feels slightly out of place.
Undoubtedly "4 Walls & My Guitar" is a triumph, it may have come at some personal costs to Paula and some of that hurt is etched deep into the grooves - but as a collection of songs you'll do well to find a better set this year.