There are buildings, and then there are sanctuaries of genius – places where creativity burns like an unquenchable fire and madness dances hand in hand with brilliance. The Chelsea Hotel in New York City was one of those places. It wasn’t merely a hotel; it was an ecosystem of art, rebellion, poetry, and passion. And now, through their latest opus, Les Paul’s (The Paul’s) – the duo of Paul Odiase and Paul Robert Thomas – breathe new life into that electric mythology with their evocative new album, The Chelsea Hotel #4.
This 28th studio release – and the fourth and final chapter in their Chelsea Hotel series – is a breathtaking culmination of an ambitious, decades-spanning musical journey. Released via Swiss Cottage Recordz, with publishing by UL Sounds LLC and Budde Music UK, and licensing through AudioSparx, The Chelsea Hotel #4 stands as both a monument to the past and a living dialogue with art itself.
From the very first track, there’s an unmistakable sense of reverence – not just for the icons who lived, loved, and sometimes perished within those storied walls, but for what the Chelsea represented: unfiltered expression. Across twelve masterfully written songs, Les Paul’s construct an emotional and sonic fresco that captures both the chaos and the quiet reflection of artistic life.
The album begins in electric fashion with “Alice Cooper”, a glam-fueled rocker that channels the theatrical energy of its namesake. The track’s growling guitars and swaggering rhythms evoke the carnival of shock and spectacle that Cooper brought to rock music. Yet beneath its confident strut lies an undercurrent of introspection – a subtle questioning of identity and artifice, of how performance becomes both shield and mirror.
Then comes “Jeff Beck”, a breathtaking ode to virtuosity itself. The arrangement here is stunning – intricate, fluid, and reverent, echoing Beck’s own fearless guitar explorations. The lyrics conjure imagery of sparks flying from strings, of sound turned into light, capturing not only the man’s technical brilliance but also his restless search for something beyond mastery – something eternal.
The middle arc of the album is where The Chelsea Hotel #4 reveals its full narrative depth. “Nick Cave” and “Tom Waits” stand as twin reflections of the nocturnal soul – two songwriters who inhabit the dark corners of human emotion. The former pulses with gothic grandeur, evoking Cave’s brooding romanticism, while the latter slouches through smoky barroom imagery, steeped in Waits’ gravelly storytelling.
“Mick Jagger” explodes with kinetic energy, the guitars strutting in sync with the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll’s eternal frontman. It’s not imitation, but interpretation – a portrait of motion, charisma, and survival. Elsewhere, “Chet Baker” provides a stunning tonal contrast. Here, the duo turns inward, crafting a delicate ballad that floats on brushed percussion and plaintive piano. The lyrics are impressionistic, haunted by the fragility of beauty and the ache of memory – much like Baker himself. The refrain “Blow from your soul” becomes a rallying cry, an invocation of raw authenticity that threads throughout the record.
When the album turns to “Sid Vicious”, it detonates with punk ferocity. Yet the power here isn’t in noise alone; it’s in the tragic undercurrent of a young man lost in his own myth. The Paul’s do not glorify; they humanize. Beneath the snarling riffs lies the echo of vulnerability — a reminder that rebellion and ruin often share the same bed.
The literary spirit of the Chelsea comes alive in “Jack Kerouac”, “Allen Ginsberg”, and “William S. Burroughs”. These songs serve as the heart of the record – a poetic triptych that captures the essence of the Beat Generation.
“Jack Kerouac” rolls like an open highway, propelled by rhythm and restless yearning. Its refrain, “Jack’s on the road,” resonates like an anthem of perpetual motion – a hymn to freedom and the curse of never arriving. “Allen Ginsberg” is a spiritual incantation, fusing chant-like verses with surreal soundscapes. It captures Ginsberg’s visionary intensity – his compassion, his fury, and his relentless pursuit of truth through the human voice. “William S. Burroughs”, by contrast, is shadowy and disjointed – a sonic cut-up mirroring Burroughs’ experimental prose, blending jazz noir and dystopian unease in an audacious act of musical homage.
After eleven deeply immersive portraits, The Chelsea Hotel #4 closes with “Leaving Tomorrow” – a song that feels like both curtain call and confession. “I wish I could stay,” the recurring line, becomes both lament and lullaby, embodying the transience of genius. It is soft, cinematic, and profoundly moving. Here, Les Paul’s step out from behind their subjects and speak directly to the muse itself: the Chelsea Hotel as a living spirit. The lyrics evoke empty hallways, fading echoes of laughter, and the faint hum of music long since stilled – yet never truly gone. It’s a farewell not just to a building, but to an era, to all the dreams that burned and fell within its walls.
As the final notes dissolve into silence, the listener is left suspended between nostalgia and transcendence. It’s a moment that encapsulates what this album – and indeed the entire series – is about: the eternal dialogue between art and impermanence. Musically, The Chelsea Hotel #4 is astonishingly varied yet cohesive. The production blends classic rock textures with cinematic layering, creating a sound that feels timeless rather than retro. Echoes of David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and Lou Reed – the duo’s stated influences – ripple through the arrangements, but what defines the record most is its emotional intelligence.
Each track feels like a conversation – not only with its subject, but with the listener. Les Paul’s (The Paul’s) don’t simply recount history; they reimagine it. Their lyrics bridge decades, their melodies traverse genres, and their empathy turns myth into humanity.
With The Chelsea Hotel #4, Les Paul’s (The Paul’s) have achieved something extraordinary – not just a tribute, but a living testament to the transformative power of art. This is an album about legacy and longing, about the unending search for meaning that drives all great creators.
In revisiting the ghosts of Jagger, Kerouac, Baker, and others, the duo remind us that creativity is both fragile and immortal. The Chelsea Hotel may have changed, its walls repainted and its legends departed, but through this album, its spirit still breathes – wild, wounded, and forever awake.
The Chelsea Hotel #4 isn’t merely an album – it’s a pilgrimage through the corridors of artistic eternity. And in the hands of Les Paul’s (The Paul’s), the echoes of those who came before us have never sounded more alive.
OFFICIAL LINKS:
https://www.paullyrics.com/album/the-chelsea-hotel4
https://lespaulsthepauls.bandcamp.com/album/the-chelsea-hotel-4
https://www.reverbnation.com/TheChelseaHotel
https://www.paullyrics.com/les-pauls-the-pauls-epk
http://www.youtube.com/paulie56il
https://lespaulsthepauls.bandcamp.com/music
https://lespaulsthepauls.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/paullyricist
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