Half the City – St. Paul and the Broken Bones

Look up “blue-eyed soul” in the dictionary, and hopefully, this album is there. I love soul music in any form, and this is one of the best “true” soul albums I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, I can proudly say that St. Paul and the Broken Bones was the first full band I ever saw live, at the Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga with my mom years ago. Besides being backed by outstanding musicians, Paul Janeway is one of the most charismatic and entertaining frontmen I’ve ever seen. The energy this guy is able to put out is absolutely incredible. I really encourage y’all to check the live performances I’m linking below. (Especially “Dixie Rothko”)

As for the album itself, it is a great example of everything modern southern soul should be. Rightfully recorded in Muscle Shoals, Half the City is full of passion, fun, meaningfulness, and make-you-wanna-get-up-and-dance music. It is certainly reminiscent of 60’s soul, but there’s nothing vintage or retro about it. I was originally going to go through song by song, because they are all really damn good, but I decided in an effort to save time and to not make anything too repetitive, I would highlight my three favorites from the album.

“Call Me” – The third track on the album and probably the group’s most well-known song, and for good reason. It’s high energy, easy to move around to, and just a ton of fun. Featuring an outstanding arrangement of instrumentation (I’m a sucker for horns, luckily there’s tons on this album) and lyrics that certainly can strike a chord with the meaning behind them. However, that meaning may be somewhat hidden by the vibe and energy the song puts out, although the passion in Paul’s voice is palpable.

“Like a Mighty River” – Immediately following “Call Me,” “Like a Mighty River” is a great expression of love that definitely has a bit of rock influence, while still maintaining the band’s soulful identity. Lyrically, if you slowed it down, it reminds me of something Sam Cooke may have done. Rock ‘n’ Soul, if you will.

“Dixie Rothko” – Perhaps my favorite song from the album, “Dixie Rothko” gets its name as a tribute to artist Mark Rothko, Janeway’s favorite.  “Rothko is my favorite, for some reason. I think it has to do with the fact that his paintings look so simple in a book but in person they are almost a religious experience.” He said in a 2014 interview with Flagpole. (An Athens, GA based magazine similar to Atlanta’s own Creative Loafing) In some ways, this song borders on a religious experience itself. Perhaps you could even say the same about Paul himself. If you take away the suit and golden shoes and replace them with a t-shirt and crocs, you wouldn’t bat an eye if you crossed paths with him in your local Piggly Wiggly. If you don’t watch any of the others, at the least check out the live performance of this one.

I’m also including a link to their Tiny Desk concert for NPR, as it is one of the best.

Link to the album in it’s entirety – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n14xfYci1Qran-bSCkMvAlWQB1OwokP0M

Link to Call Me live performance – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A347iM2_32Q

Link to – Like a Mighty River live performance – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZczOmwD7h7I

Link to – Dixie Rothko live performance – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxKK9mC0_Mc

Link to their Tiny Desk (One of the best ever) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vpXX5BjltM