Paul Soniat

As the title and the title track would indicate, this CD is a paean to the artist’s hometown. With such additional locally flavored titles as “Down in the Quarter,” “Queen of the Blues,” “Jazz Fest” and “Rich Bitch From the Garden District” interspersed among the CD’s 12 original compositions, Paul Soniat is a homegrown musician/vocalist/writer of the Benny Grunch/Philip Melancon school. Lighthearted, descriptive lyrics a true “local” can appreciate that leave no doubt about the artist’s love for his unique hometown. Soniat addresses topics never covered before in song, such as what is the correct pronunciation of our city. Is it N’awlins, New-awlins, New or-lee-enz (as they say Uptown) or New Orleeens (never, unless you’re from out of town). Unfortunately, the lyrics on most of the other compositions are not so hot, in many cases straddling the borderline between trite and insipid. And Soniat, a horticulturalist at City Park’s Botanical Gardens, needs to cultivate his vocals to keep them within a polished, controlled range. The locally flavored lyrics on the song titles mentioned above make the CD a worthy investment. The rest of the work, like New Orleans itself, rates below C-level on a scale from A to F.