Critic’s Corner: Paul Dateh – Paul Dateh

I first heard of Paul Dateh when I saw the trailer for Kollaboration 9. I was intrigued but didn’t have much a chance to really look into this artist and his work. All I knew was that he is a talented violinist but I wrote him off as an Asian male version of Miri Ben-Ari. Fast forward several months later I found out that Paul had decided to give away his album one track at a time for 10 weeks. After the first couple of weeks I realized there was a little more to this artist and decided to check out his work. So I hopped on over to Amazon and purchased his album despite some initial reservations and ignored the fact that if I waited another 7 weeks I could have the whole album for free. (Note: As of this writing he’s already released up to track 8, so for you music lovers on a budget, you can have the whole album for free in two weeks)

So the question remains, should I have just waited it out or was my purchase warrented?

Find out after the jump!

Be More – The opening riff fondly reminds me of the melody from the Bevery Hills Cop theme but it quickly grows into it’s own groove. Besides a single vocal sample this track is completely instrumental. The violin is the highlight here and Paul plays in top form (as he should). It’s a great start to the album and really gives you a taste of Paul’s versatility as not only a violin player but a musician as a whole.

Whatever I Choose – Starting off with a bluesy/jazzy intro this song starts off on an interesting note but ends up losing steam towards the end. Paul has commented that he admits the song is repetitive and he’s not lying.  The instrumental break down in the middle was a wise choice as it was great and broke up the monotony of the first half of the song. I like the inclusion of the electric guitar towards the end but I think it could have been ‘dirtier’. Paul said he was trying to make a statement with this track, and I’m glad he was able to get things off his chest but it doesn’t quite amount to a great song, but more along the lines of ‘not bad’.

Control– I ended up feeling pretty mixed about this song. Paul went for a heavier rock sound on the chorus but his super clean boy-bandish vocals don’t quite have enough gruff to match. On the other hand, the verses fit his voice well. The rhythm guitar and violins sound great here but this one is really a mixed bag. If the chorus were reworked a bit I think I would have enjoyed it more.

Celtic Blues – Misleading title aside, this instrumental track has an awesome ‘cool’ swing to it. I could totally see a hip-hop producer chopping this up and using some of the riffs to put together a killer beat (similar to his contribution on the Inverse song). Paul kills it on this one as his violin playing really takes center stage. Who needs vocals when you can put together pieces like this one?

Goes Around – Paul really hits his stride here as he finds the right mix of vocals and instrumentation to match his style. It’s jazzy, it’s fun, it isn’t over produced and it’s catchy without being overbearing. The piano at the end really added a lot of flavor. I think this would be a great song in a live setting with a full band.

Play That Song – As PD does his best to channel a swanky cool vibe, the track instrumentation outshines him with a real cool retro bounce. Paul’s vocals don’t quite have the stylized attitude it takes to command the track but he does a commendable job. This track is intriguing but not perfect.

Strong –This song is carried by the strength of it’s arrangement. It starts off with Paul accompanied only by sparse percussion and goes into a real moody piano driven sound. I think the vocals are probably the strongest on this song because they aren’t out shined by the instrumentation and are given a chance to breathe and convey some emotion. I really enjoyed this one.

Untitled #1 – Similar to ‘Celtic Blues’, this song owes its appeal to the insane instrumentation. Once again vocals are absent and definitely not needed. Paul owns that violin, knows it and shows it without hesitation. Plus he switches it up a lot and you get to experience a lot of different flavors of the instrument all the while listening to a complete banger.

Who Knew – I was completely caught off guard by the throwback 50/60’s sound to this record. It has an early Motown like style but it matches Paul’s vocals really well. I think the fact that Paul has such a squeaky clean voice really lends itself to the style of that era. Although it’s old fashioned it’s still contemporary and unique enough to be enjoyed by most people today. Imagine if the song ‘Oh Donna’ had just a little bit more swing and you’d get a song like this.

Without You Here (Song for Jessie & Jacob) – This song is very beautifully arranged and closes out the album on a soft but definitive note. Accompanied primarily by just a piano, Paul once again lets his emotions pour through his vocals. It’s a very simple but moving track that’s almost John Legend like.

Conclusion:
I made the unfortunate mistake of throwing the mp3’s onto a massive play list and listening to a bunch of different music on shuffle. When I heard this album as a collection of random singles interspersed between other artists, I actually wasn’t too impressed. I found a few tracks I liked here and there but most of the songs didn’t really stand out to me. Then when I sat down to write this review I came away with a completely different impression. I’m not sure if this was intentional on Paul’s behalf but when listened as a single cohesive body of work, it’s actually a really good album. The songs create a relaxed, somewhat moody, somewhat stylized atmosphere that really builds off each others strengths and shouldn’t be broken up. This is a rare accomplishment in a day and age ruled by radio/ring tone singles. My biggest criticism is that Paul is more versatile as an instrumentalist then he is a vocalist, occasionally failing to appropriately match his voice to the song’s overall vibe/sound. In fact some of the songs I enjoyed the most were the ones without vocals. Lyrically I don’t think Paul would win any awards but he does a more than adequate job. If you’re going to listen to this album, do yourself a favor and don’t listen to it as a bunch of singles, you will not be doing it justice. Rather, if you have a little time (the entire album clocks in at just past the half hour mark) then let yourself enjoy this one as a complete, singular body of work. Believe me, you’ll appreciate it more. I would like to hear him feature other vocal artists in the future but that’s just asking for an extra bonus.

Must Listen: Celtic Blues, Goes Around, Strong, Untitled #1, Without You Here (Song for Jessie & Jacob)

a-Tunes Score: 8.5/10