Paul Kelly Paul Kelly's Greatest Hits: Songs From The South, Volumes 1 & 2
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Label: Gawd Aggie Recordings/CEN
2 discs, 40 songs (all greatest hits), One Low Price!
'His songwriting is up there with the greats....the bittersweet and hard-core honesty of his lyrics - and his perfect, direct, often hilarious delivery.'
- Amanda Palmer
'There is something unique and powerful about the way Kelly mixes up everyday detail with the big issues of life, death, love and struggle - not a trace of pretense or fakery in there.'
- Neil Finn/Crowded House
'If I was only allowed to listen to one artist for the rest of my life, I would choose Paul Kelly.'
- Kasey Chambers
'A staggering reinterpretation of a singer-songwriter amongst the greatest of his - or any other - generation.'
- Andy Fyle/MOJO (October 2011) - Review of A to Z Box Set
'Paul Kelly is the best artist to come out of Australia, bar none. And I had never heard of him before I received Paul Kelly's Greatest Hits: Songs from the South Volumes 1 & 2. Now, it's like audio crack. I can't get enough. Two discs, 40 songs, and over 150 minutes of music make this the best Aussie album to hit the States in a long time. Then you realize that somehow, Paul Kelly has been under the radar for over 25 years. That's criminal. Kelly is one of the best singer/songwriters in the world. After listening to this gem, I guarantee you'll think the same.'
- Tim Wardyn/ink19 (Sept 30, 2011)
'The more I listen to this album, the more I love it. I'm almost embarrassed to admit this is the first Paul Kelly album I've owned. Have I wasted twenty-five years of my life?
- Michael Doherty/Michael Doherty's Music Log
'Best damned two-disc package on the market today. Kelly doesn't do anything fancy. His music is straight on rock with mild influences (meaning that you can hear a little country here and a little soul there, but it isn't country or soul - it's Paul Kelly). The thing is, he writes so damn good and presents what he writes so well that you don't notice. A musician friend of mine once said that for him, the best compliment to his music was when people liked it for itself and not its influences. Fits for Kelly. Damn good stuff. Damn good. Forty songs good. No. Forty songs great.'
- Frank Gutch Jr./FAME & AcousticMusic.com (Sept 23, 2011)
'Kelly is an important, wide-ranging talent with an impressive body of work...Enjoy the (re-)discovery.'
- Jim Musser/Iowa City Press-Citizen (Sept 21, 2011)