I was turned onto this small set of tunes by one of those Songs of the Day features that linked to a YouTube performance. Sufficient to say that I, like many others, was hooked. St. Paul (Janeway) initially comes across as a slightly geeky version of Drew Carey (the comedian). Once he opened his mouth, I kept wondering how such a character could belt out such soulful, vibrant tunes. No matter, St. Paul makes this band what it is, harking back to 70s soul and R&B while adding a contemporary touch of alternative rock.
Greetings… only has four tunes but with a nice variety from the lament of “Broken Bones and Pocket Change” and the slower tunings of “That Glow” to the faster pace of “Champagne Halloween.” It’s this last song that really gets me on my feet (and I never fail to hear a slight twinge of AC/DC's raspy vocals). While St. Paul takes primary billing the rest of the band are no slouches with a tight horn section and nice guitar and bass.
Needless to say this small dip into St. Paul has me looking for more. Fortunately, days ago they released a full album, Half the City, which contains two songs from Greetings… along with a host of new material. The bonus is that they’re coming to the DC area next month. Woo-hoo!!!
Eight nods of the head makes this topshelf material. (See http://stpaulandthebrokenbones.com/)
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