By Tyler Brown, Contributing Writer
If someone were to tell you that the path to musical success was to be a bank teller first, I’m sure it would leave you scratching your head.
But if you’re Paul Janeway, vocalist and frontman for the Alabama-based soul revival outfit St. Paul and the Broken Bones, then this is exactly what you should do! Beginning from humble beginnings, St. Paul and the Broken Bones started making waves throughout Alabama and surrounding states in 2012, with Paul surprising everyone with energetic stage performances and Otis Redding-inspired vocal idiosyncrasies.
While they were very popular throughout the South following their release of their first full length LP Half the City, St. Paul and the Broken Bones didn’t reach national acclaim until they opened for The Rolling Stones in 2015. Told that it didn’t matter what they did because everyone was there to see the Stones, Paul and the band decided that this was their chance to make a splash in the music world.
It was an electrifying performance, with Paul himself leaping into the crowd to surf 3 or 4 times before the set was over. From that point on, people were waiting for them to release their next album.
So, if any of this interests you, you’re a fan of soul music, or you’re looking to get into a new band that has a lot to say, then here are the top five songs- and the albums they come from- to get you into St. Paul and the Broken Bones:
“Broken Bones and Pocket Change”- Half the City
This the THE St. Paul and the Broken Bones song. You can probably guess why, one major clue being the name of the song, but this is the ultimate soul revival song. Paul’s voice is as smooth as butter, waning over lost love and feeling blue. It is a great song to serve as a great introduction to one of my favorite bands.
“Grass is Greener”- Half the City
This is one of my favorite songs by St. Paul, as it has one of the greatest bridge- into-chorus transitions I’ve ever heard. When Paul hits the word “Time” everything comes together and feels right, leaving the audience begging their partner not to leave them, too.
“Sanctify”- Sea of Noise
Fun Fact: This is my favorite song ever, so I’m a little biased in picking this one. However, the brass transition into the chorus is one of my favorite musical moments, leading into some of the band’s deeper lyrics. This song peers into Paul’s mind, as he questions the meaning of life and love wishing just to feel something real.
“I’ll Be Your Woman”- Sea of Noise
This number is a song about love, but with St. Paul and particularly this album, love is bent, twisted, and examined in all its forms. This song sees Paul telling his lover, “I’ll be your woman,” an odd sentiment given that he is not one. But I think Paul is looking at love in the modern age, transcending barriers and normalcy. Paul is not ignorant or numb to this revelation, and his childhood in an area less accepting of this fact is all the more reason for him to look inside and be accepting for himself and for others.
“Mr. Invisible”- Young Sick Camellia
This song caught my attention right away, with this song and the album it’s on being a completely new look for St. Paul. Elements of electronic music, moving into more experimental modern soul music, combining aspects of R&B, disco, and hip-hop create a new sound for St. Paul and register to an even wider audience. Paul’s lyrics become even more metaphorical containing fantasy influences to explore his confusion and frustration with the current state of society. In this album, and especially in this song, Paul sees his past battle with his current more than ever, as his Southern Baptist upbringing becomes ever distant in a more modern age of secular ideas.
If you like these, be sure to check out these honorable mentions:
A note about their three albums:
Half the City is a standard blues and soul revival album with some great tunes on it. Sea of Noise becomes a complete overhaul with a huge increase in production quality as well as an overarching story and deeper lyrical content. It was released in 2016 and has a lot of social commentary as well as incredible vocal performances from Paul.
While seemingly more reserved, Paul still puts his all into each performance, changing his voice to enhance each song and its meaning.
Young Sick Camellia is actually the first in a set of three albums set to be released that capture the experience of growing up in Alabama while being exposed to issues like racism, classism and religious extremism. Young Sick Camellia is from the singers perceptive while the next two are set to be from his fathers and grandfathers respectively. It was also produced by Jack Flash who worked on albums like Good Kid M.A.A.D City by Kendrick Lamar.
