As lead singer of Nouveaux, Paul Alan penned #1 hits like "If Only" and "Maybe Tomorrow." On his first solo record he brought "She's The Reason" and "Leaving Lonely." With Drive It Home, his second solo release, Paul unwittingly writes a letter to himself about faith and an authentic relationship with Jesus. Through every carefully crafted word and melody he weaves hope and poetry.
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A good Drive| Posted December 19, 2008
Paul Alan certainly isn’t a household name but you might have heard some of his work. His first solo album, Falling Awake, offered the single “she’s the reason” while more recently hit song bring you back” broke into the top ten for singles off of his sophomore effort Drive it Home.
While Paul Alan could be put into a boat with Brian Littrell and Chasen a couple whiffs of “bring you back”, “wreckage”, and “Bethlehem” will strike some of those comparisons aside. His music is probably correctly categorized as adult contemporary seeing as seven of the ten tracks have the light pop sound that can’t be mistaken as worship music. The guitar driven “canyon” uses some twang in the soft ballad, and a similar hint of southern music appears briefly on the title track. The music isn’t overly complex but it’s not terribly simple either; when the music is simple it usually picks up (“scars”) but not always (the soft ending ballad “find our way”).
The rock songs on the album are considerably good and not gritty or lame and “bring you back” is a good example of that with it’s driving electric guitar. the vocals in “wreckage” are demanding but Alan rises to the occasion brilliantly and makes the song into a very memorable upbeat rock song. “Bethlehem” uses an impressive rock tune that uses some really impressive riffs at the last chorus. While not as hard as the before mentioned songs “when the sun goes down” is a surprisingly good emotional pop tune.
The lyrics of “bring you back” reveals some notable song writing by Alan as he describes Matthew 18:12-13 and shares the depth of Gods love (‘And I left the ninety-nine to find the one/and you're the one/I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun Only to bring you back’). “Come to Jesus” and “find our way” are straightforward with worship-like lyrics while “wreckage” with a simple message of calling for help (‘pull me out of the wreckage/drag me out of this burning disaster that is my foolish pride’). Neither “Bethlehem” nor “another silent night” are Christmas tracks but the former closes out a great song with “‘I don’t want a religious experience/I just want to know you/How do I boil this whole thing down to God so loved the world?’)
Nothing is very flashy on Drive It Home, as the ballads are nothing unheard of and the rock songs can be quickly forgotten under the steam roller of new rock tunes. However the lyrics are meaningful and relevant today without being cheesy which makes Paul Alan’s sophomore project an enjoyable drive.
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