Review: ‘Beautiful Lies’ – Paul Benoit

Paul Benoit has had a varied and successful career as both a singer-songwriter and a composer who has had a number of film soundtracks credited to his name.

His latest ten song collection fuses americana, folk and rock and features some lovely slide guitar playing. The highlight of the record for me is the duet Benoit does with Amilia K Spicer on the love song Beautiful Lies. Their soft vocals convey the emotions perfectly, you can feel it tugging at the heart strings. Benoit draws influence from the likes of Nick Drake on atmospheric songs such as Smoke, a rawness evident in Benoit’s vocals.

Meanwhile, Let’s Pretend We’re in Love draws inspiration from the pandemic, there’s something theatrical and haunting about this tune, the effects on the electric guitar sending shivers down your spine as you listen. Though a cohesive collection of songs resonates on Beautiful Lies, there’s also enough variation and dynamic changes to keep it fresh and inviting to the listener.

A solid production and effective use of slide guitar help bring it all together.