Paul Cebar [CD]

A treasured fixture on the Midwestern music scene, Paul Cebar’s self-titled album – his inaugural effort for StorySound Records – might be his most stylistically diverse work to date. Cebar first established his globe-spanning musical tastes in the Milwaukee-based R&B Cadets before launching two popular, long-running bands: Paul Cebar & The Milwaukeeans and Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound. His genre-blending skills are wonderfully displayed throughout Paul Cebar. The opening number, the soul-fueled rave-up “When We Sing” serves as a mission statement for the joy that music can bring. Over the next 10 jubilant tracks, Cebar seamlessly draws upon the sounds of Tex-Mex (“We Sure Got Enough”), Latino soul (“Sunday Ride”), garage rock (“Didn’t Bring It Up”), and reggae (“Hold Out Hope”). “(Kick Up) That Lovin’ Sound”, one of several tunes inspired by the Blind Boys of Alabama, wonderfully blends New Orleans meets Brazil polyrhythms with gospel touches. A listen to Paul Cebar reveals why Joe Ely calls him an “American original” and Nick Lowe hails him as “the real deal”.