Paul Nourigat has released his third album Slightly Serious. Couth and Truth is a powerful piece of Americana-tinged rock, replete with wind-swept guitars mixing in their lot with splashy drums. The tautness of this single’s instrumentation is matched by Paul’s vox here. With nods to artists as widely-flung as Roy Orbison, Warren Zevon, and Chris Isaac, Nourigat’s voice will be able to bring in a slew of listeners. We’re particularly in love with the final minute of Couth and Truth, as the guitars gain a bit of breathing room and adopt the mantle of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Carlos Santana.
One More Pair shifts up the sound to adopt more of a blues-tinged sound. Whether it be a Leadbelly or a Stevie Ray Vaughn, the specific constellation of influences that comprise the rich musical tapestry of this Nourigat track allow the single to both be tremendously reverent of the music that preceded it as well as allow Paul the opportunity to put his own indelible fingerprint on music. As was the case with Couth and Truth, the dynamic that Nourigat creates between the instrumentation and lyrics pushes each to an entirely higher plateau. There’s so much occurring during One More Pair that listeners will have to put the track on repeat before hearing each and every inclusion here.
Pressing Snooze is another fun track as there’s a bit of Dire Straits and Golden Earring stomp-rock incorporated alongside a supremely confident vocal swagger. With another track that could easily garner rock rotation, Nourigat is in pretty good straits moving into Imaginary Genius. Imaginary Genius goes back to the days of Barry McGuire and Phil Ochs, albeit with a slightly sunnier disposition. We’re excited to hear more from Nourigat in the future.
Top Tracks: One More Pair, Pressing Snooze
Rating: 9.0/10
Slightly Serious by Paul Nourigat / 2022 Self Released / 10 Tracks / Domain / Youtube
