New Train
Paul Pena should have been a star. Maybe he would have been if this album had been released in 1973, when it was recorded. Instead, it's taken 27 years for this brilliant collection of Pena's songwriting to see air. Well, except for two of its numbers: "Jet Airliner" was such a big hit for Steve Miller it sustained the blind singer-guitarist through the lean years, and "Gonna Move" has become a favorite of R&B; bands. But the best tracks are numbers like "Let's Move and Groove Together," on which Pena makes like Marvin Gaye--his husky voice working the magic of eros. Or "Cosmic Mirror," which recalls nothing less than Hendrix's "Machine Gun," testifying to Pena's brawny-toned guitar virtuosity. (He also outplays Miller's version of "Jet Airliner" with Clapton-like bends and vibrato.) If spirituals and country are your bag, Pena captures a seeker's fervor in the title track's freedom prayer and turns "Venutian Lady" into a tripped-out reflection of hippie-era Nashville. The good news is that now Pena may get his shot. He's making a new album, and this time there will be no waiting.-- Ted Drozdowski