According to Ellis Paul’s website, “Ellis Paul is one of the leading voices in American songwriting. He was a principal leader in the wave of singer/songwriters that emerged from the Boston folk scene, creating a movement that revitalized the national acoustic circuit with an urban, literate, folk pop style that helped renew interest in the genre in the 1990s.
“His charismatic, personally authentic performance style has influenced a generation of artists away from the artifice of pop and closer toward the realness of folk. Though he remains among the most pop-friendly of today’s singer-songwriters—his songs regularly appear in hit movie and TV soundtracks—he has bridged the gulf between the modern folk sound and the populist traditions of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger more successfully than perhaps any of his songwriting peers.”
Here’s just some of the praise Ellis Paul has received for his newest album, The Dragonfly Races:
“Now a doting father, [Paul’s] first family album, Dragonfly Races, bubbles with buoyant, hummable songs that appeal to kids and parents—and incite good conversations between them. As simple as the songs are, they don’t duck tough issues; a fairy tale, for instance, becomes a timely political allegory about leaders who peddle fear for their own purposes. Paul sings movingly about what really worries new parents and turns lazy dragonflies, gentle monsters, and resilient roses into useful metaphors for world peace, the power of faith, and the delights of a sleepy day. It’s nice to see a world-class songwriter focus on kids without lowering either his sights or his standards.”
—Scott Alarik, Boston Globe
“This is a wonderful recording. The songs are melodic, and the lyrics express the themes of peace and unity so well, without talking down to children. It’s the best children’s recording I’ve heard in a long time.”
—Dave Zinovenko, Playground show on WPKN
“Paul’s intimate delivery partners with outstanding production. Paul approaches brilliance on the a capella ‘Little Red Rose.’ This is a wonderful album for adults with or without kids.”
—Kathy O’Connell MetroKids/WXPN Kids Corner
An open letter from Ellis Paul:
This is my first recording project focusing on children and families. After the birth of my daughter Sofi and a six-week stay at home helping with her arrival, I realized my oldest daughter, Ella, closing in on three at the time, was spending hours listening to the music of a strange cast of characters, right beneath my nose. The likes of Barney, Elmo, Dan Zanes, Robbie Schaefer, Billy Jonas, and others had snuck into our house and stolen her ears with the clang of their joyful music. My music was lost somehow as an afterthought. And so, I began writing these tunes, gathering ideas with my wife and friends, songs I could add to Ella’s (and soon, Sofi’s) already wonderful knowledge of music, but with the ideas and notions that I wanted her to hear coming straight from me, her Mom, and the gifted community of friends I have gathered around me. Suddenly, Ella was singing my songs around the house again. Her voice was carrying our words, and what a joy that was to hear. Collaborating with Flynn, Antje, Billy Jonas, and Vance Gilbert brought a even greater sense of community into the process. I’ve also been a visual artist for most of my life and was thrilled to finally have an opportunity to join my music with my illustrations. We hope to further this project with actual books of many of the songs. To see the fulfillment of such a complete concept coming to fruition has been the most thrilling album birth for me since Stories came out some fifteen years ago.
Since it’s my first attempt at a children’s/family CD, I am hoping that the broad sweep of songs, stories, and characters will manage to entertain a very broad age group including parents and grandparents. I know one three year old who loves the songs already, and she was the target audience. I’ve always considered myself a folk singer, despite the fact that I am clearly not putting out folk albums. They have always been singer-songwriter records with pop, rock, country, jazz, folk-rock over tones, but many of them include folk themes, social commentary, story songs of people struggling with the day to day issues of being a human being. I am in love with great songwriting. Cole Porter, Willie Nelson, Cash, Dylan, Mozart, the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, John Prine. I love a good jingle. I’m serious. If it captures its intention and was written with any kind of Zen clarity and thoughtfulness, then I am a fan. I love listening to School House Rock, and some of the brilliant writing on Sesame Street and the Muppets. But in my work, I’ve always written for myself, and taken my perspective, using my writing as a personal process to understand my world better, my friends experiences, etc. I’ve never written purely for a target audience as a goal—I’ve really only written for myself with the hopes that people would enjoy it. The result with this CD is that the songs waste no time meandering through my arguments of what, where, and why. They were written to hook the person listening and entertain them, not to explain myself, not present an argument, or the song to someone as my adult work has been over the years. These songs are for my kids. What does Ella like? So I wrote a song about swinging. What themes should this generation of kids grow up with? Peace is all over the album. This is also an independent recording. The best way to spread this music is through you, and your friends and family. Please spread the gift of this music!
Many thanks to you all,
Ellis
Listen to a clip from The Dragonfly Races >>
This song was originally published as part of The Dragonfly Races in 2008.
© Copyright 2008 by Ellis Paul.
Ellis Paul has generously donated this clip of The Dragonfly Races to Rainbow Rumpus. Please respect his generosity by listening on-site only. “The Dragonfly Races” is available on the album of the same name and can be purchased at Ellis Paul’s website.
