PAUL PENA
New Train (Hybrid Recordings)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

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I wrote about San Francisco bluesman Paul Pena on these screens when the film Genghis Blues was up for an Academy Award last Spring. Paul was the subject of this excellent documentary, which chronicled his dreams of learning the Tuvan language so that he could compete in the annual throat-singing contest in Mongolia. Genghis Blues is a movie to be seen and heard, for sure. Since then, Hybrid Records has released one of my favorite CD's that's been waiting to see the light of day for a long time. It's taken over 27 years for these sessions to get from tape to disc and it is a timeless time capsule of a great blues talent. I prefer Paul's bluesy and ragged "Jet Airliner" over the polished, top-40 tune Steve Miller turned into gold (although that songwriting gold has literally kept Pena alive in his struggle against cancer over the years). "Venutian Lady" features Jerry Garcia on pedal steel (think of "Teach Your Children"), and the a cappella sensations The Persuasions sing backup on "Gonna Move." Producer and Keyboardist Ben Sidran's liner notes talk about these landmark sessions, and peek into Pena's challenges of being a blind bluesman. Truly a long overdue celebration of an overlooked blues talent.

Track List:

Gonna Move * New Train * Jet Airliner * Wait On What You Want * Venutian Lady * Cosmic Mirror * Let's Move and Groove Together * Indian Boy * A Bit of All Right * Taking Your Love Down

© 2001 - Eric Steiner