Paul Stephenson - Girl with a Mirror (2014/2019) [Official Digital Download]

A decade of life with all its peaks and troughs in roughly one nanosecond. Quantum physics? Sorcery? Not quite: You can always count on a man – Paul Stephenson! No, his new Album is NOT Light Green Ball – it’s „Girl With A Mirror“.

We may wistfully revisit our youth – but no-one can ever bring it back. Not even an artist can. Although he has an advantage there, because he can transform the vicissitudes of life, losses, disillusionment and the tidemarks of time into art. Even more is being asked of him – because as an artist, he has no choice.

While Stephenson’s earlier works exude the excitement of “something’s gonna happen”, the sweet bird of youth is “on the way to Santiago” – since then, life seems to have taken the artist on the long and rocky road. In the same way, „Girl With A Mirror“ is darker; more composed, and more reflective – but hope does not desert us. In music and lyrics, Stephenson transforms the undoubtedly more sombre aspects of life, loss, disappointment and disillusionment, into pure poetry, lights up the pastel blue of an Amsterdam sky, and the dark clouds are, ultimately, not the last word.

And, what’s more: Paul Stephenson is accompanied – in the true sense of the word – supported by the outstanding musicians whose interaction is intimately interwoven in such a way that the whole is more than the sum of its parts, and the 15 songs of this album already give us a vivid impression of what Paul Stephenson sounds, and feels like, in concert – and what it’s like to be there.

Girl With A Mirror: In the mirror of the mermaid-like beauty of the girl featured on the album cover we just read one word: Masterpiece.

Tracklist:
1. The Silver String 03:23
2. God's Upstairs 03:48
3. The Frozen Bird 02:46
4. Earthward Bound 04:24
5. Windmill Sails 04:24
6. Rainy Day Man 04:08
7. Back Where You Belong 03:33
8. I'm Not a Thing 05:16
9. To Be There 03:56
10. Now so Far 04:43
11. Girl with a Mirror 04:09
12. Playing Neptune 03:04
13. Only Everything 02:56
14. Eyes Will Be Open 03:48
15. Lost out on Below 03:28

Personnel:
Paul Stephenson, vocal, guitar
Ian Melrose, guitars, dobro, flute
Don Ross, dobro
Manfred Leuchter, accordion
Lea Morris, backing vocals
Martin Huch, pedal steel
Beo Brockhausen, soprano saxophone, flute, mbira, percussion
Alessandro Gulino, electric bass
Hans-Jörg Maucksch, fretless bass
Grischa Zepf, electric bass
Ralf Gustke, drums, percussion
Geigenhof-Quartett:
Wojtek Bolimowski, violin
Aleksandra Glinka, violin
Oksana Labach, viola
Lucile Chaubard, violoncello