That old heartache, it won’t stop the rain.
Think of today’s AOTD as a quarterback changing the play at the line and calling an audible. I had all the intentions of doing a different record today, but yesterday late in the game, a good friend, let’s call her Mama Dee, gave me the CD, “Half the City” by St. Paul & The Broken Bones. She was filled with excitement about this band, a group I had yet heard of. She was turned on to these guys from one of our local, excellent radio stations, 89.7 FM, WTMD out of Towson State University in Towson, MD. As soon as she heard the amazing singer from the group, she rushed to find a paper and pen to jot down their name. Yes, people still listen to the radio and write down something they hear that touches them on the airwaves, then seek the music out later like back in the day. About two months ago, Dee, her hubby Chris and a friend also got the opportunity to go see St. Paul & The Broken Bones live. She exclaimed, “they were awesome.” “His voice gives me chills,” Dee added. So without giving away the genre of the disc, and also knowing how passionate she was about the album, I listened to it on my way home from work. Right off the bat, I understood why she loved them so. Wow.
The first thing about this group that grabs you is the lead singer Paul Janeway; the Paul in St. Paul. His amazing voice is a cross between Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Al Green. I can also hear a touch of Van Morrison when you hold it up to the light just right. His and the six members of The Broken Bones’ sound harkens back to yesteryear; southern soul, gospel, blues and that old school Motown vibe all mixed into one. Another recent artist that seems to capture a slice of this sweet potato soul pie is Raphael Saadiq. Even though Saadiq seems more Motown to me, he came to mind when listening to “Half the City.” Back to this St. Paul cat for a minute. His singing seems to come from a deep, deep place and can knock your socks off. He is absolutely the real deal. You wanna hear some fantastic soul music, then look no further than this wonderful assortment of song. I will gladly give some shout-outs to a few numbers from the LP: That Glow, Call Me, It’s Midnight, Like a Mighty River, I’m Torn Up, Grass is Greener, Don’t Mean a Thing. Broken Bones and Pocket Change and the title track. Oh yes.
Going against the original playbook, choosing “Half the City” was exactly what was needed for this mild, rainy and foggy, two days before Christmas, late morning. I highly recommend checking out St. Paul & The Broken Bones and their debut record. And even though they should be around for a while, you will want to get to this party on time so as to not miss anything that could happen. Pssst, they are that good.
365, Album of the Day 2014 