You know how it feels to come across an artist who knows how to capture lightning in a bottle with their music. Their styles are addictive, their unique signatures are home-hitting in a can’t-quite-put-my-finger-on-it way, and their promises of new releases leave you simply giddy. For me, that artist is none other than Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Crupi, who, luckily for us, has just released his latest gem, Don’t Go.
Over the years, I’ve watched Paul Crupi evolve and explore his style with an incredible amount of both passion and prismatic range. From the cosy, warmth-soaked Lemonade to the dim-the-lights-esque sensuality of i got you., Paul Crupi has shown us time after time that his music is as adaptable as it is bewitching. But the question is: which side of Paul’s sonic prism does Don’t Go reveal to us?
Don’t Go
With an artist like Paul Crupi, it only takes the first few seconds of an intro for you to brighten up with excitement. Because of Paul’s versatility, you never know what journey he’s about to take you on, and it adds a refreshing spritz of zest to his introductory notes.
Refreshing spritzes aside, the initial peppering of sawtoothed guitar work immediately carves some rock-esque furrows into the melody. Beribboning these biting furrows, Paul’s vocals flow around the instrumentation like a stream of silk. There’s a cold gentleness to his voice that we haven’t seen in his previous songs, especially with the way that his delicate backing vocals glide across the track’s texture. It’s almost as if they are being shorn from a spectre’s shadow—they are haunting, sorrowfully vestigial, and are teeming with a longing that befits the song’s title.
And yet, despite the audible heartache that vivifies the lyrics, Paul still manages to deliver a performance that can only be described as colourfully robust. This contrast between the vocals is what brings the song’s story to life. The love that sits at the crux of the song’s composition is so deeply felt that it both weakens and strengthens Paul’s delivery simultaneously. In other words, you just know that he has felt, lived, and breathed every word that he has thoughtfully placed into his narrative.
The melody of Don’t Go would be captivating enough if it were only bolstered by the vocals and the guitar, but what I’ve learned as a fan of Paul is that he doesn’t settle for anything less than stellar quality. So, with the addition of the fleet-footed purrs of the bass and the subtle pattering of the drums, you can only imagine how addictively animated this track is.
Acting as the tale teller’s cherry on top, the lyrics tie every element of Don’t Go together in a gorgeously heartfelt way. With lines like ‘You’re the beacon that guides my stray heart’ and ‘Your voice wraps me up every time, I love listening to you,’ you can’t help but find yourself wishing to be close to your loved ones. There’s a different kind of beauty reserved for songs that bring people together like this, and Paul Crupi has unearthed it!
Flowing so naturally from his vivacious performance, the track concludes with a fiery instrumental solo that sounds as if torn straight from Paul’s intimate love of soulful rock. It’s high-spirited, sharp-edged, and perfectly balanced. This burst of instrumental luminescence doesn’t abandon the emotional intricacies that the rest of the track has been exploring, but rather, it enhances them. This is the final, wordless ‘don’t go’ that the track needed to reaffirm itself as a song about boundless, hope-flamed love.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/user/MrPaulCrupi
ALT: A achromatic shot of Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Crupi singing into a studio microphone.
Paul Crupi
As always, you know that I like to shed a little light on not only an artist’s music but also the artist, too. I’ve discussed the virtuosic path that lies behind Paul Crupi in the past, and now, I want to focus on the path that he still has yet to etch out for himself. What does the future hold for the man behind the enchanting 2023 album Home?
Well, although autumn won’t see any more of Paul’s elegantly warm vocals, I just happen to know that they will indeed return to offset winter’s bitter chill. In a couple of months, Paul Crupi will be returning to the studio to record a single that’s been waiting in the wings throughout the summer. I won’t spoil anything, but let’s just say that if you love high-energy rock, you’re going to become hooked when you hear his next endeavour!
In the meantime, Paul will be returning to one of the aspects of his musical career that he loves most—performing live to an audience that is just waiting to connect with his distinctly ethereal sound. That’s one of the qualities that makes Paul Crupi such a wonderful artist; he isn’t churning out slipshod singles for the sake of swiftness. Rather, he is taking his time to ensure that everything he releases is nothing less than beautifully crafted gold that shines brightest in the hearts and minds of his fans.
With that in mind, what time is better than now to experience some of that beautifully crafted gold for yourself? Don’t Go is out now and available to listen to across all major streaming platforms!
Till next time.