Paul Masson is an American singer-songwriter who lives in Baltimore MD. He has released a debut self-titled EP, described as “brilliant,” “authentic,” and “honest.” It is a record that is country at its root, but hints at soul, blues, and folk as well. With a voice older then his years, Masson is a man who has been to the edge and fought his way back to share his tribulations. His stories are autobiographical, but always relatable. There’s a depth to his songwriting that is impressive when you take into account that this is his debut record. Masson wrote the record upon his return to Baltimore in January 2009 after having moved away three years ago. “Being back in Baltimore I started seeing things more clearly. Songs like “My Girl Baltimore”, which had been in my head for some time suddenly came into focus. I had written the chorus before I moved away, and the words had been an angry sentiment. But after moving back, and reflecting on my travels the past couple years, suddenly ‘She’s my beautiful girl/She’s named Baltimore/and oh well honey don’t you know you’re going to win.’ were expressing love. It was the idea of giving yourself to another person or place without regret and that action freeing you.” Love is the theme that ties together much of the record. “To be honest I had decided to give up music when I moved back to Baltimore, but at the risk of sounding cliché, it was love that brought me back to it. I had closed my heart off to beauty and feeling, and until I was shown how to re-open it, these songs were not possible for me to write.” The EP’s lead song “Gonna Be Your Man” is a deceleration that when faced with life’s trials, love will grant our desired ends, revealing the parts of our morality that are truest. “Cause in this life you and I will walk/Sometimes in light, sometimes in dark/But darling I’m always gonna be your man.” In “Where Have All The Gentlemen Gone” Masson channels the emotions of a woman he has loved, but must leave behind in order to reconnect with aspects of his consciousness that could lead him astray. “This record is at its core about me, but I honestly believe it covers themes anyone can relate to. Whether it’s about money and the troubles that brings us in “Gold” or the deterioration of the environment in “Red Morning Skies”, I don’t know anyone who isn’t a little scared about those things.” And it’s in this honesty that Paul Masson’s debut EP shines. His stories only made stronger by the power of his live performance. “We recorded everything as I would play it on stage and I think we were able to capture an intimacy that is missing on a lot of records I hear today.” The record is built around one man and his acoustic guitar, drawing you in and making you part of the story. “I think there is a mystery to songwriting and performing, that is as vast and amazing as living and breathing. People are so immensely different from each other and yet we are so often brought together by art. Poets, writers, painters, songsmiths, they find a way to talk about something as mysterious and misunderstood as love and do so in a way that unites us. I think that’s amazing. And that’s why I continue to write. Because I want to be part of that continuing mystery.” Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.