Reviewed by Steve Husband

Out of Charlotte, North Carolina come Paper Tongues, formed in 2007 where they started the Inprov Music Experience, a weekly event where musicians played for the homeless at a main intersection in the middle of the city. Now the seven-piece outfit bring together their individual influences to embrace elements of rock, funk, rap, and soul. Randy Jackson, the American Idol judge has managed Paper Tongues since the lead singer Aswan North took the bold step of placing a note with his phone number and the band's MySpace page in front of Jackson in an LA restaurant. Within a few hours the phone rang and the band began a steady progression of writing, producing and many months on the road getting their sound heard, and what a sound they are building. Supporting Flyleaf, Jet, Our Lady Peace, Everclear and Switchfoot, plus playing a handful of Vans Warped dates has brought them to the attention of a growing army of appreciative listeners. This 4 track "Ride to California" EP has been available at shows since July 2009 and on iTunes since January 2010 with the promise of a full 10 track album in March 2010. So how to describe the sound - well it is certainly backed by a highly charged energy that could be placed into the rock box, but the vocals bring in elements of rap merged with tones of funk, soul and even some country. Does that give you any idea of the sound? No you need to take a listen and then listen again before you get your mind around something completely new and more than worthy of adding to your collection. This is more than just another set of songs to listen to, it is the result of seven quality musicians honing their skills and bringing you energy, excitement and a real good feeling that will have you bouncing around without realising it, but don't miss out on the powerful thought provoking lyrics or you will have missed something special. All four songs have been chosen for Cross Rhythms airplay which is surely recommendation enough.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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