By Cédric Vernet 
With Getting There, released on September 11 on Yep Roc Records, Eli “Paperboy” Reed delivers an album that moves between soul, gospel, country and rhythm and blues. Produced by Swamp Dogg and recorded largely live in Brooklyn, it explores relationships, the passage of time and what it takes to stay together. A feel-good record for troubled times.
Soul music grows up
Since Roll With You in 2008, Eli “Paperboy” Reed has made his mark with a voice that can move from a quiet confidence to a gospel shout. On Getting There, he keeps that intensity while giving his songs more room to breathe. It would be tempting to call this his “mature album” (that familiar phrase!), and the lyrics do come from a soul singer firmly in adulthood.
Every Once in a While opens the album with the small gestures that help a relationship last. Horns and pedal steel answer each other in an arrangement that brings soul and country together. Like We Used To, meanwhile, looks at the time we no longer make for one another.
A band that serves the songs
Recorded mostly live over ten days at Restoration Sound in Brooklyn, the album is built around a particularly strong band. Michael “Ish” Montgomery plays bass, Noah Rubin handles drums and percussion, while Jonny Lam moves between electric and acoustic guitars and pedal steel.
On horns, saxophonist Morgan Price and trumpeter Carter Yasutake bring colour and depth to the arrangements. Eli “Paperboy” Reed also plays guitar, electric piano and organ.
On Everyone Else, the piano, horns and rolling rhythm give the song a New Orleans rhythm and blues feel. Its easy groove stands apart from the album’s more country-leaning moments and shows the range of influences at work here.
With Swamp Dogg at the controls
As producer, Swamp Dogg focuses on channelling the energy of the singer and his musicians. The result favours simplicity, allowing the songs to unfold without unnecessary layers. He also contributes backing vocals and piano, and joins Eli “Paperboy” Reed on One Man’s Trash (Is Another Man’s Treasure), a wry duet about fresh starts.
On Love You More, a duet with Zaniah, the challenges of a relationship call for greater commitment and tenderness. Their voices, accompanied by Jonny Lam’s pedal steel, bring soul, gospel and country together once again.
The album also explores relationships that come to an end. The distinctly country Asking for a Friend tells a breakup story under the pretence of speaking for a friend in trouble. A cover of How Can I Forget, recorded by artists including Jimmy Holiday and Ben E. King, gives the weight of memory room to settle.
The title track follows a man through several stages of his life, from childhood to fatherhood. The advice he once received becomes the advice he passes on. Even when his goals seem to be within reach, there is still more road ahead.
That reflection continues on The Questions, as the singer considers his place as a father, a son and a man. Has he been there enough? Do the people close to him know how much he loves them? The album ends without offering definitive answers.
With Getting There, Eli “Paperboy” Reed delivers a restrained album, free of overproduction, that gives the songs, his voice and his musicians the space they deserve. Moving from soul to country, it carries a touch of nostalgia, with some tracks taking us back to the 1960s and 1970s. It is generous, endearing and, above all, it makes you smile. That alone makes it well worth a listen!
Photo credit: Rosie Cohe