Paul Colman Trio
Melbourne, Australia6 reviews across 4 releases
The Paul Colman Trio was an Australian Christian pop-rock band formed in Melbourne in 1998, after Paul Colman brought together drummer Phil Gaudion and bassist Grant Norsworthy. Colman had already released solo records and remained the principal songwriter and producer on the 1999 independent debut Serious Fun. That album used acoustic guitar, piano and restrained rhythm playing to move between reflective songs and hook-driven pop; its three-part "Banquet Table" was an unusually elaborate piece about a narrator who discovers that he belongs among the sinners he has judged. The 2000 follow-up Turn kept the acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies but added louder drums, stronger bass and electric-guitar choruses, moving the group toward rock-pop. By New Map of the World, the first Essential Records release, the arrangements had become polished acoustic pop-rock with added orchestral color, while the lyrics drew mixed responses for pairing memorable hooks with familiar Christian language.
In 2001, the trio relocated from Australia to Nashville and began working in the American Christian music market, opening for Third Day before releasing New Map of the World in 2002. The move brought a label contract and a Grammy nomination, but the band did not continue as a full-time recording and touring unit. After One appeared in 2003, Colman, Norsworthy and Gaudion announced a break in 2004, citing financial and family considerations. Colman stayed in Nashville, made a solo album and joined Newsboys in 2005, while Gaudion returned to Australia and continued as a producer, engineer and session drummer. Norsworthy later worked as a speaker and musician and joined Sonicflood. The trio reunited for Australian performances in 2011, recorded Return, and played a 25th-anniversary concert in Melbourne in July 2023.
4 releases reviewed
Serious Fun
New Map of the World
