Gritty with an elemental rhythm, tight-as-a-drumhead playing, and a profound depth of feeling: these are the promises of a great soul band. And St. Paul & The Broken Bones deliver on those promises.
Front man Paul Janeway’s handle “St. Paul” is a witty allusion to the vocalist’s grounding in the church. Like so many soul singers, Janeway, from Alabama, was raised on the gospel side, in a non-denominational, Pentecostal-leaning local church. Virtually no non-religious music could be heard in his devout household.
“The only secular music that I heard at all was a ‘70s group called the Stylistics, and Sam Cooke. That was about it. The rest of it was all gospel music. When I was about 10 years old, I was groomed to be a minister. My goal in life until I was about 18 years old was to be a preacher.”
– Paul Janeway
St. Paul & The Broken Bones – Don’t mean a thing: