Music Review // Paul Niehaus IV "If I Stay Too Long"

https://www.bluelotusrecordings.com/store/bl-23

https://open.spotify.com/album/2dSmkV4fqs7mckuNtsvj6D

The music of Paul Niehaus IV has a sound of rock n roll.   There are times when it's acoustic, times when it's electric and times when it's both.   In a lot of ways, as the first song kicks off and sets the tone for the album, it feels like this can be both psychedelic and a lot of fun.   There is soul and by "Virgin on the Mountain" I can hear this gospel-like sound that The Gadjits had in their later years.

While I think it sounds like gospel, it goes into a song called "Keep on Pushin" which sings about Moses and goes full into devotion with: “Believe God has got your back”  Look, regardless of what you believe in or don't believe in, you have to believe someone has your back, so channel that energy there.   If I had to choose whether or not this music was fit for church though, I can't say for certain but the church might feel like it's a bit too much on the rock n roll side for them.  

"The Mango Man" is an interesting song with these horns that make it somewhere between ska and reggae.   There is an element of Jimmy Buffet about it, but it also just feels like a song you might sing for children.   "Mama" is slower with a distinct guitar sound and "My Daddy's Old Guitar" comes out as a bit of acoustic rambling.  The Wallflowers can be recognized within these songs as well now.

Before the album is over, we get the groovy instrumental rock of "Swamp Stomp", a fiddle on "Till This World Is Gone" and the last song, "Sixty-Six", comes out as this sort of surf song with horns but also like the 1950's / Big Bopper era of music also mixed with The Hippos "Paulina".   Throughout this album though, one lyric remains true and it comes from the titular track: “There is power in a song”  These songs just prove that.