Paul Sanchez

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Gambit Weekly Sonoma Valley

Paul Sanchez -Sonoma Valley (PSM)

Feb 8, 2000
Gambit Weekly by Kevin Moreau

In the supercharged rock enviroment of a Cowboy Mouth show, Paul Sanchez's appeal lies in his aw shucks demeanor. With his stiff necked rooster strut, he looks like a regular joe who got called up from the front row,and his songs establish a familiar, barstool intimacy. On his solo recordings, Sanchez cranks that intimacy knob to 11. He's not some faceless singer staring out over the crowd at open mike night; he's your best friend, sitting in your living room, and you're the only person in the audience.

Songs like "Same Old Disguise and "Footsteps I Hear" mark a new level of sophistication in Sanchez's songwriting, although his penchant for agreeable melodies remains intact. "Nasty Evil Clown"(with great understated tuba work from Monte Montgomery) and the Irish Boy-styled sing-a-long "All Are Welcome In Heaven", with the appealong notion that God's "only been kiddin'/with all this religion /and there ain't no such thing as Hell". "I Can't Stand You Now(the hate song)" also echoes with the direct, hummable storytelling of Sanchez's most familiar work.

His solo records also give him a chance to flex his balladeer muscles, and the first two songs -"Sleep Well Tonight" and "Sonoma Valley" are handsomely sung, smartly written, and easily memorable, as are most of the 17 songs here. Sonoma Valley boasts a fine roster of guest musicians (especially John Boutte). It shows that Sanchez is only growing as a songwriter.