Best Albums of 2016 - Number 6

St. Paul and The Broken Bones are a live band. That can't be argued with. I've seen them twice already. The first time, I drove 4 hours to see them -my first time alone at a concert - in Orlando and was completely blown away. I already have tickets to make that exact 4 hour drive to see them again in March and this time, I'm probably even more excited, because now I know what I'm going to experience. And maybe this is why I would place their albums so high on any list. Maybe, every time I hear their music, I'm transported to that religious experience. I know that's at least part of it. But also, Sea of Noise is a demonstration that they are growing. They are reaching beyond any idea of them being just a soul revival, a fucking amazing one, and trying to not only expand their sound, but their content. Their concept. Their point of view. Their new album brings a new sense of timeliness, funk, exploration and confidence that only gets better with more listens.

Anchored by 3 short interludes called "Crumbling Light Posts" the album brings to mind the 70s more than the previous effort, which was much more anchored in 60s southern soul. This is more high concept, exploratory and socially conscious. It's a bit of soul searching, basically. But it never gets heavy handed because first and foremost is the soul. After that short intro, we get right to it with the funky "Flow With It (You Got Me Feelin Like)." Right off, what I noticed here was Paul's more restrained performance. The bombast is there, and you can feel it about to burst (and it does), but he's adding texture and expanding his range. That range continues to expand in the deep disco of "Midnight on Earth," with a chorus that is somehow equal parts Bee Gees and Al Green. And right along with Paul's expanding range, the band is exploring different corners of the funk.

In addition to the funk, there is also a choir and string section on a few songs, as well as more overtly gospel influenced songs that give this an interesting dynamic range. It's all elements that have existed in soul and R&B from the beginning in varied measures, but the way this album flows feels very much alive and of the moment. Maybe it's the context of a song like "I'll Be Your Woman," at a time when gender conceptions are finally being challenged in our culture. It's a soul ballad which lyrically echoes Prince's "If I Was Your Girlfriend" but somehow takes it to another level by completely embracing fluid gender roles with lines about being rescued by his female lover and then flat out saying "let me lie in your strong arms" and "I'll be your woman." And there's "All I Ever Wonder" which is all about questioning the state of the world. It's not so much political as it is just socially aware and heartfelt.

If I had to choose one song to represent the range this album goes through, it would have to be "Sanctify." Some of the funkiest organ I've ever heard somehow leads to the one of the lushest most inspiringly orchestrated crescendos I've heard in a long time. What happens in between is religious, sexual and chill inducing. I am really looking forward to seeing them play this live.

Every time I listen to St. Paul and The Broken Bones, I get a little lost in it. And while this album brings some of the real world into that with lyrics like "That’s my daddy with a gun shooting someone else’s son. Is it over yet? A bullet with intent for the color of his savior and he can’t forget. What do we do when the fight goes out? I just want to know can we find love in a black hole?" from "Brain Matter," it's still comforting to be in a musical space that reassures the way soul always has. They are not retro or a throwback - they are timeless. They put the music first and their knowledge of the history of the form is as evident as their talent. My excitement for this band has not decreased one bit since first listening to them a couple of years ago and I'm looking forward to continue to be excited with every phase of what they do. 

Perfect Songs - To Love Somebody

You learn something new every day. Maybe. I don't know, but I sure as shit learned something today that I'm surprised I didn't know, even though I kind of knew instinctively. See, I've always loved this song and this morning I was listening to it and decided it would be my next Perfect Song installment. Maybe even as a Perfect Cover Song, because in my head I somehow remembered an Otis Redding version. But low and behold, I couldn't find that version, because it turns out it exists only in some parallel universe. But, and this is the part I learned today, the song was actually written for Otis to record and he would have if he hadn't died before doing so. The song is, of course, "To Love Somebody" by The Bee Gees.

If you listen to the original, and know anything at all about Southern Soul in general and Otis specifically, then it's easy to see how much sense it would have made for him to sing it. This song drips with that heartfelt, on your knees, naked emotional proclamation and pleading that I love about Otis and all the other Southern Soul greats of the 60s. It's obvious to me that Barry and Robin Gibb were not only fans of Otis, but that they studied him and the genre enough to produce a song that is authentically of the genre. Their version only comes off a little more glossy than I would imagine Otis would have done it, but even without the grit, the feeling is there.

And of course, the song's been covered a whole hell of a lot. There are few which, while not exactly what I imagine Otis would have done, do bring some of the elements of what might have come from him. The first one is one of the first covers of the song ever done, by James Carr. This version has the soul, for sure. You can't argue with James Carr, but nobody's Otis. It's a different thing altogether, leaning a little more to Gospel than Otis did, but there is some extra grit on his take that gets us closer, I think. And on it's own merits, it still is a good cover.

Then there's a version that somehow brings even more heartache by going smoother than the original. Nina Simone's smokey velvet tone is pretty far from the raw outpouring I falsely remember hearing from Otis on this song in my head, but it's Nina fucking Simone, god damn it and this version is something else entirely. Her voice was always capable of bringing a certain level of pain to this type of song that I'm not sure can be compared to anyone else. Her performance is understated, but the heaviness of it all is undeniable. The word unique is thrown around a lot, but Nina truly embodies a unique performer and her take on this song, while not drastically different than other versions, becomes hers simply because it's her. It truly stands on it's own.

Finally, there's Janis Joplin doing the closest thing I can imagine to what Otis might have done. It's big and unbridled and sweaty. And kind of messy. Like love. Like Soul. The thing is, it's a perfect fucking song, bottom line. But lest we think that it's impossible to fuck up a perfect song, I leave you with this. Listen at your own peril.

Best Albums of 2015: Number Two

I'd heard a few songs on this album since it dropped in August. I had put it in one of my Spotify folders out of curiosity and songs would pop up once in a while. I liked them fine. Then, some time in early November I decided to play the whole thing from start finish and I was instantly in love. How  could I not be? Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats' self titled debut is Southern Soul with a country flair and fucking perfect.

From the joyously bouncing opener "I Need Never Get Old" with it's Sam and Dave inspired beat, it's clear this band takes soul seriously. Rateliff is a pretty well established indie folk singer but here he's a full on soul shouter like few others. His voice is deep, loud and commanding but there's a certain worn-in quality to it that really brings this to a special level. And the band is totally jumping. But what truly puts this over the top for me is the production quality. Producer Richard Swift captured a vibe and atmosphere here that sounds to me like it was all recorded live in the studio. I'm sure that's not the actual case, but it doesn't matter so long as the end result puts me in a room with the band, and it absolutely does. I feel like I'm in some old school, wood panelled studio with a bunch of sweaty musicians and vintage gear, maybe at Mussle Shoals, throughout this album.

It's not all just the expected Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam Cooke, well worn tropes that are covered here, either. Every song also has a certain mid 70s country soul edge that comes through most on the ballad "Wasting Time" and sets this apart from other soul revival bands this year. But the stand out track, and my song of the year, is "S.O.B." a supremely infectious song that walks a fine line between being a deeply disturbing tale of alcoholic descent and party anthem with a total "fuck it" mentality which Rateliff actually just wrote as a joke. Opening with a gospel harmony complete with humming, clapping and stomping, Rateliff sings about how he will need someone to help him and how he will writhe and shake his body, pull his hair out and cover himself in ashes before suddenly breaking off that painful confession by demanding a drink as the band jumps in with the most joyous R&B gospel jam ever. If you don't join in, you might be dead. It's the most fun song you've likely heard in a long time.

There isn't a bad song on this album and the way it completely transports me when I listen to it is magical. If you've been paying attention, you know I love soul, especially Southern soul. But far from being a no brainer that an artist playing classic soul and R&B would be something I'd love, there's a certain feel that has to be there - a certain authenticity that has to come across as genuine love for what this is about. It's not easy to put your finger on it, but it's here. Rateliff and company clearly love this music and know it well and it shows. Now, get me a drink!