“An AnnArbor/Ypsilanti, MI-based band led by singer and songwriter Paul Lippens, Paul's Big Radio specialize in a kind of delightfully ragged alt-country-tinged roots rock that seldom drifts into genre clichés, thanks largely to Lippens' heartfelt and personal approach to the stories he tells. The songs onTwo Rooms, the group's debut album, move like narratives, but the best kind of narrative, the kind where needless details are wisely left out, which leaves the best tracks shining with a passionate sharpness. Among the highlights are the bright, brisk country shuffle "Annabelle," the mini-epic "Ashley Street," which emerges as a cinematic tale of emotional desperation and survival, the wonderfully ramshackle and radio-friendly "She's the Girl," and the slow waltz "The Monona," a character study that features the grave of Otis Redding as a brilliant and stunning conceptual centerpiece. It's all pretty impressive, and the band, anchored by drummer Chris Mueller and bassist Jerry Hancock and buoyed by Joshua Killom's tone-perfect snaky lead guitar lines, is a perfect fit for Lippens' fragile, passionate vocals. On Two Rooms, PBR (the name can't possibly be an accident) strike a nearly perfect balance between funky looseness and focused vision. A fine debut.“
Steve Leggett: reviewed in All Music
