Paul Pena - Paul Pena

All Music Guide

Paul Pena eventually became known as an unlikely virtuoso of Tuvan throat singing, especially after he was profiled in the documentary Genghis Blues. Yet in his prior musical lifetime, before literally finding a new voice, he was a soulbluesrocker who managed to issue one selftitled LP in the early 1970s. Paul Pena is a respectable album in that style, but it's fairly ordinary journeyman effort, albeit without serious flaws. There's a little bit of an early'70s folky singersongwriter looseness a la Van Morrison involved as well, though occasionally he gets into a funky groove that was more explicitly southern soulinfluenced. Only "One for the Lonely" comes close to getting a really hooky bluesrock riff into the mix, however. Some of the other tracks have some modest pleasures as well, like the expansive organ of "Something to Make You Happy," which gives the brooding number a San Francisco acid rock tinge. The folkbluesy "Lullaby" is another of the stronger tracks, with its galloping g...oingdowntheroad feel and unexpected addition of steel guitar (by Jeff Baxter) and harp. - Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide Read more Less