Back & Forth

by Jason BirchmeierPrimarily known to the world as a superstar DJ in the same rank as other late-'90s/early-2000s superstar DJs like Paul Oakenfold, Pete Tong, and Judge Jules, Tall Paul began funneling more of his effort and time into production in the early 2000s. For the most part, he released the occasional track here and there over the years -- most of them being sizable hits in the U.K. where Paul's stature was greatest. However, the U.K. wasn't enough, so he set his sights on North America in the early 2000s, like countless other U.K. superstar DJs. First came his Mixed Live album for Moonshine, which found him compromising his Euro-centric sound -- just a bit -- for America's house- rather than trance-orienated preferance. In addition, Paul built his Mixed Live set around "Precious Heart," one of his productions that featured an unmistakable sample of INXS' "Never Tear Us Apart." That track and the mix album itself the stage for this album, Back & Forth, his first full-length album of production work. Back & Forth features not one but two versions of "Precious Heart," which is the album's highlight and also its primary marketing tool. Elsewhere, Back & Forth also features other past hits by Paul such as "Freebass" and "Let Me Show You." Despite the numerous hits on Back & Forth, though, it's not a very impressive album. Paul is obviously following a formula for his tracks, which far too often end up sounding indistinct from one another as a result. Furthermore, you can't help but sense that many of the tracks on this album are merely filler, with the aforementioned hits being the obvious focus.