Australian singer-songwriter Paul Inglis delivers a timeless yet forward-looking opus with sixth album ‘Off The Charts’.
Paul Inglis has shared his sixth album, a glittering soft-rock opus titled ‘Off The Charts’.
An 11-track collection of instantly timeless tracks, the project traces the singer-songwriter from Joni Mitchell-like ballads to glam-rock fantasia, as bound by his own personal stories and distinctly Australian themes.
‘Off The Charts’ opens with the sunlit guitar melodies and chiming cymbals of ‘Suzy and Brendan (Don’t Give Up)’, an ode to the life of the titular musician characters.
That sense of storytelling remains a throughline across the album, as Inglis again recounts the tale of a fictional musician on ‘Johnny Craves Sanctuary’.
Inglis owes much of his evocative narratives to his vocals, delivered with unparalleled charisma and instantly drawing the listener into his curated worlds.
Flitting between airy harmonies and guttural, raspy broods, Inglis tells his stories in the same vein as an orator, with the surrounding production feeling as though it’s told around a campfire.
Regal strings get their moment in the sun on ‘Good Songs Are Never Easy’, a rhythmic ditty that delivers social commentary while remaining infinitely danceable.
It’s here that Inglis dips into his groovier tendencies, with lilting vocals and pulsating percussion that crescendos to an anthemic chorus.
This spirit of versatility continues on ‘Soul of a Poet’, which brims with melancholic licks and a rich tale of two artists Inglis has encountered in his past.
Meanwhile, on the title track, Inglis’ vocals are cushioned by swelling gospel choirs, while ‘Forget This’ offers an incisive take on the fleetingness of love atop sparse guitars and rustic percussion.
Later, on album standout ‘Glam the Glam’, Inglis revels in unadulterated glam-rock, with decadent instrumentation and hedonistic lyrics about “Liberace sequins” and “unleash[ing] you’re inner hidden child”.
Penultimate track ‘The People’s Songs’ offers a welcome change of pace with the kind of ambient sonics that might soundtrack a scenic walk in nature, with the added grit of screechy electric guitar flourishes.
Inglis’ efforts culminate on closer ‘Fickle Mistress’, which is carried by the warmth of harmonica and an engrossing tale around the cruel passage of time. What all of it amounts to is a sonic odyssey that’s well worth the journey.
Get swept up in Paul Inglis’ new album ‘Off The Charts’ below.
