Music
Press
By JIM TRAGESER - Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 12:09 PM PST
B- "Subject to Change"
Joe Palen
Self-released
Joe Palen's debut has a charming homemade roughness to it that hearkens back to 1980s college radio. The 40something Oceanside resident accompanies his singing on guitar, and while he's got a nice, clean singing voice, it's the urgency of his autobiographical songs and the jangly guitar that give this seven-song release a bit of an edge.
The melodies are pretty simple, but catchy; the arrangements and production seem a bit thin. Part of it is that Palen's simply not as good a guitarist as he is a singer, so his fills on guitar struggle to hold the listener's attention until he begins singing again.
But the evidence on this disc suggests someone who'd offer a fun live show, something his MySpace page and Web site suggest he does too infrequently.
Contact Joe Palen at palen.com.
[Source = http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2009/01/07/entertainment/music/z33a221cc349d21d888257536006c2510.txt] - North County Times (CD Reviews for Jan. 8-14)
Discography
CD: Subject to Change (2008)
Photos
Bio
Joe Palen has loved playing music most of his life, and is now bringing his own music to you. After going 48 years without releasing a CD, Joe (48) has recorded "Subject To Change". At one point, he considered naming his debut "It's Never Too Late" (because that's one of the messages he hopes to spread as he tours the world with his music). He settled on "Subject To Change" after finding that title in a note he'd written to himself 17 years earlier (along with some sketches used as the basis of the final CD artwork).
Though heavily influenced by The Beatles (and after spending years trying to sound like other people), Joe has managed to find his own unique voice.
His songs display a variety of sounds and emotions, resulting from a personal journey that started in his teens (when he wrote his first songs), carried him through his coffeehouse years, and have finally brought him to the release of this solo debut CD. Joe and his co-producer (Andy Machin, BigRock Studios) have kept the sound as close to a live acoustic performance as possible, intentionally steering away from the temptation to over-produce. The only two instruments on this CD are a guitar and a voice (both played by Joe).
Joe is an almost-native Californian (his family moved to Chula Vista from Milwaukee, Wisconsin when he was six), currently living in the San Diego area with his two daughters (Autumn and Jordan) and his cat (Tigger).
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