ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES
''HALF THE CITY (DELUXE EDITION)''
FEBRUARY 18 2014
46:35
**********
01 - I'm Torn Up 03:37
02 - Don't Mean a Thing 03:06
03 - Call Me (Single) 02:51
04 - Like a Mighty River 03:22
05 - That Glow 03:03
06 - Broken Bones and Pocket Change 03:47 (Paul Janeway, Jesse Phillips)
07 - Sugar Dyed 02:27 (Paul Janeway, Jesse Phillips)
08 - Half the City 03:17 (Paul Janeway, Jesse Phillips)
09 - Grass Is Greener 04:14
10 - Let It Be So 03:19
11 - Dixie Rothko 03:32
12 - It's Midnight 02:31
13 - Down in the Valley (Bonus) 03:25 (Traditional)
14 - Ninety-Nine and a Half (Bonus) 04:00 (Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd, Wilson Pickett)
Tracks By St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Except As Indicated
**********
Paul Janewav: Lead Vocals
Browan Lollar: Guitars, Backing Vocals
Andrew Lee: Drums, Percussion
Jesse Phillips: Bass
Allen Branstetter: Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Ben Griner: Trombone, Tuba
Al Gamble: Organ, Piano, Wurlitzer
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Steve Leggett
With a charismatic, dynamic, and theatrical lead singer who seems to channel the intensity of James Brown on-stage, a loose and punchy two-man horn section, and a garage band back line that holds everything down, Birmingham, Alabama's St. Paul & the Broken Bones at their best capture a retro-soul sound that echoes nothing so much as the classic Stax and Muscle Shoals sides from the late '60s and early '70s. Lead vocalist Paul Janeway's gospel-inflected soul singing is impassioned to say the least, and he wrings every ounce of sweat and soul out of the tracks included on this, the band's debut full-length album. From the opener, "I'm Torn Up," the stage is set for track after track of slow-burning and heart-wrenching soul ballads, a form that is obviously Janeway's specialty. He croons, and roars, and gasps, and groans, and slides through these songs like the second coming of Al Green, somehow smooth and rough and raw all at the same time, pure emotion tempered with a dose of gospel spark, and there's no denying this is his show. The band's churchy, street-corner horn band sound is punchy enough to give Janeway all the heat and steam he needs, but also in-check enough not to crowd him, and songs like "Call Me," "Broken Bones & Pocket Change," the stomping "Sugar Dyed," and the charming little soul waltz "It's Midnight," which closes things out, really do sound like they come from another era when secular gospel was just becoming known as soul. It's a refreshing sound, even though it does nothing new. If there's a flaw to this fine debut album, it's that most of the songs are slow-moving, wrenching ballads, powerful if taken one by one, and Janeway wrings everything out of them, but they tend to fall into the same emotional groove. A couple more "who cares, let's dance"-type upbeat songs might have made this a smoother and more varied listen, but that's really a quibble, since voices like Janeway's only come around once in a great while. This debut album is pretty good, and this band shows a lot of heart. With a singer like Janeway, there's no reason to think that things won't just get bigger and better for this band.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Steve Leggett
A tight sextet with a gospel-tinged neo-soul garage sound complete with horns and a dynamic lead singer, Birmingham, Alabama's St. Paul & the Broken Bones' stirring live shows quickly garnered them a fan following when the band was formed in 2011. Led by vocalist Paul Janeway, an impassioned soul singer with James Brown-like stage moves and command, and also consisting of Browan Lollar (guitar, vocals), Andrew Lee (drums and percussion), Jesse Phillips (bass), Allen Branstetter (trumpet), and Ben Griner (trombone and tuba), the group self-released an EP before signing with Single Lock Records, which issued a debut full-length, Half the City, early in 2014.
**********
WIKIPEDIA
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
********************
''HALF THE CITY (DELUXE EDITION)''
FEBRUARY 18 2014
46:35
**********
01 - I'm Torn Up 03:37
02 - Don't Mean a Thing 03:06
03 - Call Me (Single) 02:51
04 - Like a Mighty River 03:22
05 - That Glow 03:03
06 - Broken Bones and Pocket Change 03:47 (Paul Janeway, Jesse Phillips)
07 - Sugar Dyed 02:27 (Paul Janeway, Jesse Phillips)
08 - Half the City 03:17 (Paul Janeway, Jesse Phillips)
09 - Grass Is Greener 04:14
10 - Let It Be So 03:19
11 - Dixie Rothko 03:32
12 - It's Midnight 02:31
13 - Down in the Valley (Bonus) 03:25 (Traditional)
14 - Ninety-Nine and a Half (Bonus) 04:00 (Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd, Wilson Pickett)
Tracks By St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Except As Indicated
**********
Paul Janewav: Lead Vocals
Browan Lollar: Guitars, Backing Vocals
Andrew Lee: Drums, Percussion
Jesse Phillips: Bass
Allen Branstetter: Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Ben Griner: Trombone, Tuba
Al Gamble: Organ, Piano, Wurlitzer
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Steve Leggett
With a charismatic, dynamic, and theatrical lead singer who seems to channel the intensity of James Brown on-stage, a loose and punchy two-man horn section, and a garage band back line that holds everything down, Birmingham, Alabama's St. Paul & the Broken Bones at their best capture a retro-soul sound that echoes nothing so much as the classic Stax and Muscle Shoals sides from the late '60s and early '70s. Lead vocalist Paul Janeway's gospel-inflected soul singing is impassioned to say the least, and he wrings every ounce of sweat and soul out of the tracks included on this, the band's debut full-length album. From the opener, "I'm Torn Up," the stage is set for track after track of slow-burning and heart-wrenching soul ballads, a form that is obviously Janeway's specialty. He croons, and roars, and gasps, and groans, and slides through these songs like the second coming of Al Green, somehow smooth and rough and raw all at the same time, pure emotion tempered with a dose of gospel spark, and there's no denying this is his show. The band's churchy, street-corner horn band sound is punchy enough to give Janeway all the heat and steam he needs, but also in-check enough not to crowd him, and songs like "Call Me," "Broken Bones & Pocket Change," the stomping "Sugar Dyed," and the charming little soul waltz "It's Midnight," which closes things out, really do sound like they come from another era when secular gospel was just becoming known as soul. It's a refreshing sound, even though it does nothing new. If there's a flaw to this fine debut album, it's that most of the songs are slow-moving, wrenching ballads, powerful if taken one by one, and Janeway wrings everything out of them, but they tend to fall into the same emotional groove. A couple more "who cares, let's dance"-type upbeat songs might have made this a smoother and more varied listen, but that's really a quibble, since voices like Janeway's only come around once in a great while. This debut album is pretty good, and this band shows a lot of heart. With a singer like Janeway, there's no reason to think that things won't just get bigger and better for this band.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Steve Leggett
A tight sextet with a gospel-tinged neo-soul garage sound complete with horns and a dynamic lead singer, Birmingham, Alabama's St. Paul & the Broken Bones' stirring live shows quickly garnered them a fan following when the band was formed in 2011. Led by vocalist Paul Janeway, an impassioned soul singer with James Brown-like stage moves and command, and also consisting of Browan Lollar (guitar, vocals), Andrew Lee (drums and percussion), Jesse Phillips (bass), Allen Branstetter (trumpet), and Ben Griner (trombone and tuba), the group self-released an EP before signing with Single Lock Records, which issued a debut full-length, Half the City, early in 2014.
**********
WIKIPEDIA
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
********************
