A JOURNEY THROUGH THE YEARS WITH PAUL COLMAN

History begins yet another chapter in the curious evolution (or is it revolution?) of Mr. Paul Colman. After garnering significant radio popularity as front man for the GRAMMY-nominated Paul Colman Trio (PC3), adding a Dove Award to his mantle, releasing a solo record, selling hundreds of thousands of records and becoming a member of newsboys, Colman recently announced he would be leaving his fellow Aussie rockers to go it alone—again.

Culling 13 of his best recordings into one package, History serves to remember past eras and ruminate over future endeavors.

“Turn,” “Run,” “Fill My Cup” and “Solution” catalogue his PC3 radio era (as well as an enjoyable live recording of “The Killing Tree”), while “Gloria,” “The One Thing,” “Holding On to You” and “I Owe it All” pull from 2005’s Let It Go solo effort.

Covers of Toby Keith’s “If I Was Jesus” and Larry Norman’s “Sweet, Sweet Song of Salvation” do more to distract from the “best of” feel than add. But a remake of Delirious’ “History Maker” suits Colman’s power/modern rock tendencies well and is sure to be a worthwhile addition to live sets.

“All U Need,” the album’s one entirely new song, utilizes a single acoustic guitar to carve an irresistible space for Colman’s evocative vocal—a setting that would serve Colman well on future releases.

Though the cover additions aren’t stellar, History effectively sums up Colman’s storied career. If you’ve never really tried Paul Colman, this might be your chance to give him a go. –Andrew Greer