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Paul Colman has been pretty prominent in the Christian music industry for a while now. After establishing himself as the frontman for Paul Colman Trio, a group that won fans over with charm, catchy songs and hand motions, Colman took a shot at a solo career and then joined up with the newsboys as lead guitarist. History gives fans and newcomers alike the chance to look back, reminisce and enjoy the songs that he's brought into our world.

¹ "If I Was Jesus" i've gotta come clean... i didn't really catch on to PC3 until they were already on their way out... i had gotten the album One to review and they were pretty new to me... even then i didn't quite connect with the album... it wasn't really until i witnessed the humor and the charm of Paul himself at Creation that i really started to think twice about the group... (and by then he was about to go solo)... that said, here's a perfect example of a song that's witty and catchy and still has a pretty deep message... Jesus isn't what you expect Him to be... ² "History Maker" this song is more familiar to me... and i really enjoy it... actually, this album came up on my iPod the other day and i was singing along with this song, not realizing what it was, and i was thinking that it sounded old, but still pretty fresh... it's about living for God and actually living intentionally enough to have an effect on those around you... it's a good worship song as well... ³ "Holding Onto You" this one's from the solo album and i always thought it was a little humorous that an album called Let It Go had a song called "Holding Onto You," but you know, it's not exactly a contradiction... i like how the song starts off acoustic and then fills out rather quickly with a nice rhythm and a solid arrangement... the chorus is fun, too... ⁴ "Turn" and now we begin a few tracks from the PC3 days that, when I saw him in concert, involved hand signals and choreography... since Paul was on his own at that point, he had a young, up and coming band (Building 429) come out on stage and demonstrate the motions for everyone... how fun... and really, it's no surprise that the group gained such a following... it's still a pretty sweet tune, a solid pop tune indeed... ⁵ "Run" continuing in that vein... it's good for me, as i've never picked up New Map of the World and these are the big hits from that album which earned them the title of New Artist of the Year at the Doves... good stuff... love that percussion throughout the song... and the bassline is nice too... ⁶ "Fill My Cup" this one starts out a bit more laid back, but it still resonates well after all these years... it just goes to show that a well-constructed pop song has a long shelf-life... and they were totally in the zone when they were writing for this album... it's just a good group of tracks... simple, but there's enough to hold onto and enjoy for years... ⁷ "Gloria (All God's Children)" if i'm not mistaken, this was the first single from Let It Go... and i was never really sold on it... the chorus works, obviously, but it kind of feels genaric when stacked up against the rest of his catalog... actually, maybe this sounds mean, but i could totally see the newsboys singing this song... it kind of has that feel to it...

*** INTERMISSION (maybe it's cheating but i'm falling behind on this typing and i need to go stretch) ***

⁸ "The One Thing" and we're back... and this song is one that i loved right off the bat and everytime that i hear it, i'm immediately drawn in... you know, this may have been the lead single actually... who knows... it was long ago and i've never really paid much attention to the radio... anyway, this has a great guitar-picked rhythm... and it's a simply stated piece... gets me every time... ⁹ "Solution" and here's the song that really stood out to me on One, probably a single even... but even moreso, i just watched a video of PC3 announcing a reunion show in Australia and this was playing in the background the whole time... well most of the whole time... they also mentioned that it was only for this one show, but i wonder... you know, it would be pretty cool if they did another album now that Paul's left the newsboys... anyway... i just totally talked over that whole song like i was just on a video announcing a reunion tour... oh well... ¹⁰ "Sweet Sweet Song of Salvation" now this is their somewhat raucous interpretation of the old standby hymn... it's surely a crowd pleaser as there's lots of energy to it and everyone knows the words... it almost sounds like it's live as well, but it's not... it's pretty rocked out and almost sounds like Audio Adrenaline... ¹¹ "All U Need" now Paul is completely unplugged... very quiet song that sounds really tender and genuine... it's a nice tune that sounds like a rough demo, but that builds the intamacy of the message... i think it's kind of odd that Paul, as a former schoolteacher, would stoop so low as to use "u" as shorthand here, but i'm trying to learn to let go of things like that and not let them bother and distract me... ¹² "Killing Tree [Live]" this is one of the songs that they mentioned playing at the reunion show because it's a celebration of Easter and the song fits... i'm glad it's on here, because i couldn't exactly place it... it's got a more serious tone to it and it doesn't rely on a catchy melody or anything like that... it actually builds and has a nice, slow-moving arrangement that adds to the depth of the images being portrayed... and it's a live version which makes it the longest track on the album... i like the way they've ordered the tracks on this, because it allows for a lot of fun up front which reminds listeners of why PC3 was so popular, but also closes out with three quieter and contemplative songs which reminds listeners of why PC3 was recording songs in the first place... ¹³ "I Owe It All" and this song is the one that i find myself humming and singing in my head at random times of the day... also from the solo album, it's a nice, calm track telling about God's faithfulness and willingness to provide for us... and the chorus kicks off in a somewhat unconventional way which makes it a more interesting for the listener... anyway... that about wraps up the album and i'm glad i took the time to listen to it... hopefully you are as well... i'm pretty curious about what the near future may have in store for Paul, or the trio, or whatever... i certainly hope that we haven't heard the last from this "history maker"...

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