Sean Anderson - 5/31/2010

This is Eli "Paperboy" Reed's second album and the one where he truly found his voice and style, departing from the blues of the first album, which, despite being interesting, was more bluesy and vocally experimental.
'Roll With You' sounds polished and the band the True Loves has really found its natural style, which includes an upbeat jazz tempo to brighten up any day and a deep bass line that accentuates solemn lyrics. The overall sound is reminiscent of 60s soul and 50s rock and roll. This is a captivating revival: the songs are original, so reinventions of the genre as opposed to imitations.

Eli's voice is impressively faultless in hitting all the notes, even when performing live, although it is not one that you would put to his face. It's more comparable with soul greats such as Sam Cooke, who have been great inspiration to Eli.

'Roll With You' is a nice mix of ballads such as the touching 'It's Easier' and 'She Walks' and testosterone-filled belters such as 'The Satisfier'. The album handles the frustration of a man in good old-fashioned courting, including the lack of commitment in 'Stake Your Claim' and the hope of something more than a short-term relationship in 'Am I Wasting My Time', a fantastic sing-along track.

Arguably the catchiest track on the album and one that featured on BBC's 'Later with Jools Holland' is the nostalgic number 'Take My Love With You'; I defy you to resist bobbing along to this one! Tracks such as 'I'm Gonna Getcha Back' and 'Won't Give Up Without a Fight' with their assertive lyrics prove that 'Roll With You' is not a thoroughly soppy album. Eli isn't a man to be walked over.

The penultimate song '(Am I Just) Fooling Myself' is a tear-jerker of a ballad where the instruments are toned down to reveal the true magnitude of Eli's voice as he pleads for his love to be requited. It's also the calm before the storm: the last track, the furiously paced '(Doin' the) Boom Boom' has the music back in full swing and ensures that the album ends with an unforgettable bang.

Throughout, 'Roll With You' will keep you captivated with its variety and continuity (an oxymoron that takes a listen of the album to comprehend). Eli and the True Loves themselves are major new talents managing to revive a retro sound and also be unique. I'm willing to bet that Eli "Paperboy" Reed will be the dominating male soul voice of this decade (if not for longer!).