Richardine Bartee
The best storytellers are people who have lived a well-rounded life. They are travelled and understand various cultures. And most importantly, they know how to read people, the room, and crowds. Luckily, for Paul Maged, he is one of those special people. He performed as a comic through the Tri-State area. The singer has appeared in many independent films—including ‘Bobby G Can’t Swim—which won a festival award.
Comedians are essential to pop culture because they help us digest the things happening around us and in the world. With experience in standup comedy, Paul Maged’s tongue-in-cheek approach to songwriting makes sense. All of the album tracks incorporate that sarcasm, but ‘Gunz 4 Hire’ and ‘Corporate Hell’ are the more obvious selections. As the country faces and tackles gun violence, at first, I thought ‘Gunz 4 Hire’, for the times, might have been too much. It isn’t. It’s right on time. It mentions our growing list of mass shootings—heartbreaking.
The melody on ‘Corporate Hell’ is my personal favourite. As described in the release notes, it is ‘a no holds barred, first-hand account of working in Corporate America that sarcastically exposes its soulless underbelly.’
On a separate account, I think if Paul Maged wanted to use his voice in another genre, he would be able to carry an intense note. The light airiness of his voice tells me so. Check out the New York City-based musician’s latest offering. Although it is funny, to me, it has a deeper meaning. I hope you’re able to catch what he intended about climate change, human warfare, religion and today’s evolving society.
