​Paul Kaplan (from the album King of Hearts

​Paul Kaplan (from the album King of Hearts

​Paul Kaplan (from the album King of Hearts (Live) available as a self-release) (by Danny McCloskey)
A reissue of Paul Kaplan’s 1985 LP King of Hearts, provides a second life to his songs. King of Hearts puts the musician in the spotlight, a space that he inhabits masterfully. Paul Kaplan is a folk singer. Like the traditions begun in coffee houses and basement bars, his voice rings like a bell. The words are clear, the music chiming in support of songs that harken back further than the late 50’s, early 60’s folk boom, returning to the days of traveling troubadours moving from town to town with a parcel full of stories. The collected tracks on King of Hearts speak truths that tell tales of love, beginning with the heartfelt words of album opener “I Will Keep You Warm.” Paul Kaplan points fingers at a cultural weight on our shoulders when singing of “Money,” the melody sways gently to cradle the woes of “I’m Feeling Blue,” while history writes the story in “Orphans of the Storm.”
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The tunes show no signs of wear and tear as King of Hearts offers timeless tracks. Logging in over fifty years in the music business, Paul Kaplan is a songwriter who takes pride in his work, with neither his passion, his voice, nor his songs showing any past due dates. The King of Hearts title track tenderly tells a tale of loss, “Blow, Winds, Blow” watches children grow into adults, while “Take Out the Garbage When You Go” bids goodbye with a request for cleanliness, and “Just Another War” looks at armed conflict from the perspective of one soldier’s observations. Backing the words, the playing on the album supports the songs with bright bounces (“Wedding in the Village / Rondeau from Gascony”) as they sing from folk traditions stretching back centuries (“Heather on the Moor,” “I Had an Old Coat”). A student of music, Paul Kaplan has curated Phil Ochs albums for reissue, and he sends a song out to a much-missed mentor with “Phil (for Phil Ochs).” (by Danny McCloskey)  
Listen and buy the music of Paul Kaplan from AMAZON
 
Head over to the Paul Kaplan website for more information