Paul Sanchez

Paul Sanchez is a rocker whose percussive acoustic guitar is effective as a backdrop to personal, vivid songs about experiencing life one relationship at a time. At times it's an attractive picture, other times not. When not singing of old lovers, infatuation and jealousy, Sanchez relays a facet of his family life. It's Sanchez unplugged, but the power still flows.

In the lead-off song about onetime love affairs, "Confidential Dance," his images sizzle from the first lines: "I reached my hand under her black sweater / Buried my face deep in her blond hair." He doesn't get much more graphic than that, but that's only because the relationships end before they can get started. Sanchez was raised in New Orleans, so it follows that influences of that city would emerge in the rocking "Louisiana Lowdown and Blue," which conjures images of surviving a drunken binge and trying to put it all behind him. Then in more tender moments, Sanchez sings about passing on family history before family members die in "Tell You a Story."

This album has Sanchez's elastic tenor vocals winding around his acoustic guitar, though there's a smattering of lead guitar, harmonica and a lovely instrumental ("Carl Calls Kristie") that features Sanchez's lead acoustic guitar over a backdrop of rhythm guitar, piano and snare drums.