Paul Sanchez

Having spent 17 seasons as the part of the suave, six-string support squad for N’awlins’ party band, Cowboy Mouth,Paul Sanchez once again steps out of the shadows to offer his own take on music….Sort of. Though he has penned every one of these diverse tracks, Sanchez has again deferred performance rites to his musical friends (hence the title).

But what friends they are! From The Cowsill’s Susan Cowsill to Better Than Ezra’s Kevin Griffin to Hootie-man Darius Rucker, Sanchez knows how to pick ‘em- both in terms of songs and singers.

Drawing on both his familial and personal homelands, Sanchez presents the mournful cowboy song “Mexico,” the Latin-tinged anti-war warning “Wake Up” (delivered affectingly by Crescent City gem John Boutte) and the Cajun-esque rouser “Wake-y-up-o,” which, along with “Itty Bitty,” demonstrates his ability to write for big and little people alike.

Apparently, Sanchez can also look at similar situations from very different perspectives. For example, Theresa Anderson’s “Lonely Wasted and Blue” is a Vaudevillian bouncer that deals with the same lack of companionship as Griffin’s gentle ballad “Someone Again.” Such is the way of a great songwriter - that his creations can remain meaningful and beautiful even when delivered by others – and such is the way of this album.