Paul Sanchez - "exit to mystery street"
When I think of New Orleans music, I think of a blend of blues, jazz, rock, funk, rockabilly, zydeco and soul...like a gumbo, their music scene blends some of the best aspects of all of those styles. On "Exit to mystery street", Paul Sanchez cooks up a fine gumbo of an album. Some songs lean more towards pop rock ("sedation", ""ride with the devil"), others utilize hammond B-3 or wurlitzer to get a funkier or soulful sound ("door poppin'" and "dancing with fear", respectively), while still others have a horn section which give it what I would consider a traditional New Orleans sound ("exit to mystery street", "hoob-a-joob", "for the rest of my life"). There's even a Latin flair on "adios San Pedro", and "manana", and a few rockabilly/country tunes in "the key" and "Johnny and his June".
There are guests a plenty on "exit to mystery street", making the album the most full band sound of any of Paul Sanchez's solo works (note: I'm sure some fans will point out his last album, "between friends", had an equal number of guests making it a full band sound, but Paul only sang lead on one song of that album so this is the first album he's sung lead on everything with a full band sound backing him). Some of the many guests on the album include the album's producer Dave Pirner (from Soul Asylum), Ivan Neville, John Boutte, Susan Cowsill, members of Bonerama, and Freddy Omar.
From the opening fun of "door poppin'", to the closing laid back jazz vocal of "don't be sure", "exit to mystery street" is an album that is not only vibrant and fun, but one that really makes me want to go visit New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, but I am glad it could not destroy it's music.
www.paulsanchez.com
When I think of New Orleans music, I think of a blend of blues, jazz, rock, funk, rockabilly, zydeco and soul...like a gumbo, their music scene blends some of the best aspects of all of those styles. On "Exit to mystery street", Paul Sanchez cooks up a fine gumbo of an album. Some songs lean more towards pop rock ("sedation", ""ride with the devil"), others utilize hammond B-3 or wurlitzer to get a funkier or soulful sound ("door poppin'" and "dancing with fear", respectively), while still others have a horn section which give it what I would consider a traditional New Orleans sound ("exit to mystery street", "hoob-a-joob", "for the rest of my life"). There's even a Latin flair on "adios San Pedro", and "manana", and a few rockabilly/country tunes in "the key" and "Johnny and his June".
There are guests a plenty on "exit to mystery street", making the album the most full band sound of any of Paul Sanchez's solo works (note: I'm sure some fans will point out his last album, "between friends", had an equal number of guests making it a full band sound, but Paul only sang lead on one song of that album so this is the first album he's sung lead on everything with a full band sound backing him). Some of the many guests on the album include the album's producer Dave Pirner (from Soul Asylum), Ivan Neville, John Boutte, Susan Cowsill, members of Bonerama, and Freddy Omar.
From the opening fun of "door poppin'", to the closing laid back jazz vocal of "don't be sure", "exit to mystery street" is an album that is not only vibrant and fun, but one that really makes me want to go visit New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, but I am glad it could not destroy it's music.
www.paulsanchez.com