Written by Lauren Rosier
The South Australian singer/songwriter, Paula Standing, unveils her new album, “The More I Give,” out now. These songs are deeply personal for Standing and are about her life and musical path. Her songs are mostly rooted in Americana, folk, and country music.
Standing was always influenced by the live music from her family’s live music sessions during their regular “front parlor sessions” and she continues to be impacted by the musical and personal influences in her life.
From Paula Standing:
“I worked with multiple songwriters, but the underlying theme was a brief history of me. Who I am, where I came from and where I am heading. Yet still very relatable to the listener.
I followed a musical path set for me with magical parties around the piano from a very young age.
A chance meeting with folk artist Lou Bradley pushed my musical journey higher than I thought possible
Songs inspired by the amazing people I call my family – mother, husband, sons, they gave me the best stories.”
The album opens with the song, “Call It Home.” As you listen to the music and lyrics, one can hear the emotion in her voice, and in the song. It begins with a simple, beautiful guitar part paired with a drumbeat. She tells a story about her family selling her home and “chasing bigger dreams.” She sings about how her family will “find a place and call it home.”
“Hiding Out In Tuscany” is such a beautiful song with beautiful vocals. Standing sings so sweetly on this track as she sings “take the train to find your missing piece / a plane to meet your wildest dreams / see the seven wonders on your way…” It’s just a really cool song with a piano foundation.
The title track on the album, “The More I Give,” is such a vulnerable track full of emotional lyricism. She sings “the longer that I live, the better that it is. The more I give.” The addition of the strings is an elegant piece to the song.
On the track, “I’d Go Back Again,” Standing reminisces about growing up and her Saturdays gathering around the piano singing songs with her family. Her storytelling abilities and how she’s able to paint a picture of her life at age 10 — the listener can just imagine a family gathering around a piano singing songs as a family. It’s a beautiful thing to think about.
The song, “Heaven On Earth,” has such a great musical foundation to it. It has an indie-folk vibe to it. Standing sings “it took us years, it took us months / some tears / a million smiles / look at you and me / and what we’ve found…” The song is a true love song, no way around that, and it’s so beautiful.
Overall, Standing is very talented with a beautiful voice and tone to her vocals. Her record, “The More I Give,” is a decent record of her life and musical journey. It’s available now to purchase via the artist at Bandcamp and can stream at all DSP’s.
Connect with Paula Standing
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Soundcloud | Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music
