A quick glance at Marcus Paul James’ resume will give you a preview of how talented he is. It's hard to deny that when he's appeared in Broadway hits like Rent, In The Heights, and Motown The Musical. But this isn’t a site about Broadway musicals, is it? Sadly, no, it’s not! This is a site about music, and unsurprisingly, MPJ is great at that too.
Enter, the Paper Hearts EP. The seven track project is an airy and lush mix of Soul, R&B, and Pop, borrowing the best of each genre and blending them all into something that is exciting and soothing.
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By far the coolest aspect of the EP is the sheer diversity across its seven tracks. The title song, “Paper Hearts” feels like it would be at home on a Broadway Musical, while the song immediately following it, “Going Under” boasts a quicker pace, uses much harder instrumentation and almost sounds like a riff off of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” Ya, bet you didn’t see that comparison coming.
The creativity does not stop there, but far be it from me to ruin the surprise and give everything away. What should be noted, however, is the way MPJ attacks each song. Each track feels well thought out, with layers upon layers that give depth but don't overcrowd any one song. It's an awesome thing to listen to and a great intro into the artist if you haven't checked him out before.
Give Marcus Paul James’ latest project, Paper Hearts EP, a listen above, and be sure to stay locked on EARMILK for all things great music.
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