St. Paul & The Broken Bones frontman Paul Janeway grew up almost exclusively on gospel music. That and his Alabama roots had a heavy impact on his identity, music, and life. He even credits his church-going childhood for his performance style, which is high-energy, interactive, and foot-stomping. It challenges the audience not to get into the music and the moment. But what you need to know most about “St. Paul” and the seven “Broken Bones” if don’t already: they are one of the most exciting bands in rock soul-revival since Alabama Shakes (whose very own Ben Tanner actually produced St. Paul’s debut album).
On their sophomore album Sea of Noise, St. Paul & The Broken Bones bring you to church from the first track, where the lyrics we’re just crumbling light / in a sea of noise set the lyrical precedence for the rest of the songs. Verbally, it has a bluesy feel, providing social commentary on contemporary politics, social unrest, and what Southern culture means in today’s world. But there are also melodramatic love songs like “I’ll Be Your Woman” rootsy “Is It Me”, and soulful ballad “Sanctify” that diversify the album’s sound. St. Paul’s voice soars over each track, vacillating between complementing and elevating the music. Bottom line, fans of Alabama Shakes, and soul-revival in general, can’t turn a deaf ear on Janeway and his band.
Sea of Noise builds on St. Paul’s debut album Half The City, which is fantastic in its own right. The new album is the next logical step for the evolving group, with pumped-up instrumentals, more stylization, and an overall bigger feel. That is in part thanks to adding the choir and using the Stax Museum in Memphis to record. Lester Snell of Stax Records, a historically vital soul record label based in Memphis, was also added to orchestrate strings.
Catch St. Paul & The Broken Bones’ performance on Conan September 19th, and check out tickets for their concert September 21st at the Fox Theater in Oakland. They’ll be performing a private concert at our very own Levi’s Lounge the same day, so check back after for exclusive photos, performances, and more!
Check out exclusive interview footage, photos, and performances from Levi’s® Lounge here.