Paul Wright

Paul Wright

#2 Paul Wright Fly Away 2003

For my money, Paul Wright has not only the most unique sound in contemporary Christian music (CCM) but the most unique, beachy, hip-hoppy, reggae, raise your helps, jump with joy, sing out loud, fusion sound in all of music. Period.

If your idea of a perfect day is to drive down the coast with the top down, to meet friends at the beach, surf and give praise to God over a campfire, then Paul Wright is the music to play. Just the title of the songs will put you in a summer mindset ñ "Brighter", "South Beach", "Flip-Flops", "SmoothReggaeStyle" (all one word), "West Coast Kid" and "Fly Away". Here are a few lines from various Paul Wright songs:

Surfing all day long yeah and at night we're gonna sing some songs ("South Beach")
So get up, so get down, get your flip-flops off the ground ("Flip-flops")
So where is Jesus in all of this? Try these lyrics from "Brighter":
The city lights shine so bright in the sky at night when the sun goes down
for the evening

The palm trees sway with the breeze under these conditions I think I'm thanking God for the seasons
Cuz He's all that I'm searching for
So give him your burdens and get your body on the dance floor

Oh oh things are getting brighter and brighter and brighter and brighter and brighter
Oh oh my burdens getting lighter and lighter and lighter and lighter and lighter

Before G.O.D. my burden was heavy I had no reason for living
But then He gave me eyes to see everything inside of me that held me back from this freedom

Praise Jesus hallelujah
Praise Jesus c'mon c'mon

The lyrics go much deeper in "You're Beautiful", which got a good amount of airplay last year on Christian rock radio:

You're created for the Creator to live inside
There's a hole in your soul and I know that you try
To fill it with every little thing but the very one who can heal it
And bring hope to a world that wants to know why they're alive

I can think of no better "mission statement" for why we need to tell our friends the good news about Jesus. Wright weaves lyrics that make you stop in your tracks with his unique sound. It's tough to describe musically so we urge you to play it and try to define it yourselfÖor don't categorize it all, just enjoy it. Or let Wright use a line from "Rock the Show" to describe his sound:

I represent folk meets hip-hop, make it modern rock, gonna make it sound hot

Wright hails from Oregon, was a college basketball star at Northwest Christian College and was fortunate enough to have top-notch singer/producer Toby Mac hear his sound and collaborate with him on his debut solo CD. He is still looking to crack into the upper tier of Christian artists, though he has toured with Christian music festivals and starred in "Hero", a Christian rock opera, with Rebecca St. James and other top artists. That isn't to say that Wright doesn't have huge backing, such as Toby Mac, who said, "Paul Wright is the artist I would have been if I'd done it my way. He makes the kind of art I indulge in daily.

Other great songs on Fly Away include "Your Love Never Changes", "Crashing Down" and "South Beach." Every song flows "smooth reggae style" into the next and in the end, Paul Wright takes Christian music where it hasn't been before across many musical genres, with a deep message and a foot-tapping, hand-waving sound. Go ahead and try not to dance to it. It's not possible.

Wright's second solo CD is due out in mid-June. If it's anything like Fly Away, expect Paul Wright to jet to the top of Christian music charts in the coming year. He's that good.