Paul Pfau
Great American Love Story
Reviewed by: Jane Roser
Nashville-based singer/songwriter (and former Voice contestant) Paul Pfau takes us on a journey through the ups and downs of relationships with his latest EP. Great American Love Story is a beautiful collection of five love songs filled with honeysuckle and spitfire that both enchant and break your heart.
“Hey Hi Hello”, co-written with Austin Bello (Forever the Sickest Kids) starts off quietly, with vocals and acoustic guitar before introducing finger snapping and percussion. It’s a sentimental, happy and nostalgic song about a sweet, patient man who falls in love with a mysterious girl he sees from the shadows over the course of several years- from middle school to adulthood- before he finally musters up the courage to ask her out.
Continuing with a ’50s/’60s musical theme, “Cry” delivers a pocketful of regret over mistakes made and hearts broken; begging for forgiveness with the soul and sound of a Motown jam. The endearing ballad “See You Better” is the perfect bookend to conclude the album by describing the simple joys of growing old together. Inspired by an episode of Mad Men in which Don Draper leaves his wife a note before heading off to run errands, Pfau thought it was an incredibly romantic gesture and kept it in the back of his mind for future use: “Lovely Megan-I went to buy a light bulb. When I get back, I’ll see you better. Love, Don.”
Poetic, cohesive and well-produced, Great American Love Story had me from, well, hey hi hello.
Rating: Bad-Ass
