REVIEW
What: St. Paul and the Broken Bones with Impulse Response
Where: Royal Theatre
When: Thursday, June 28, 2018
Rating: 4 (out of 5)
It’s ironic that the buzz act of the TD Victoria International Jazz Festival is led by a titular saint, because the local debut of Alabama soul shakers St. Paul and the Broken Bones was an emphatic shout to the heavens on Thursday.
That’s how far the Al Green-like voice of Paul Janeway, frontman for the group, can travel. Janeway was able to pull back when needed during the Royal Theatre performance, but even in the quietest moments, it sounded as if he could uncork at any second with a decibel-shattering holler. What’s more remarkable is that this cannon-sized voice comes from someone who looks like comedian Brent Butt from Corner Gas.
Restraint is what often separates a professional soul band from a passable one — in the end, some things are better left unsung. Janeway owns a capital-V voice on par with the giants of the soul music world, but he didn’t flick the switch at every opportunity. He did it when it was warranted. Part of the fun was guessing when and where he would let fly.
Janeway was a spectacular presence, no doubt. But the best part of the performance was the collective strength of the membership.
No one stole the spotlight away from the singer, but bassist Jesse Phillips, guitarist Browan Lollar, drummer Andrew Lee, trumpeter Allen Bransetter, trombonist Chad Fisher, saxophonist Amari Ansari and keyboardist Al Gamble (whose Hammond organ was a nice touch) each had memorable moments (the sound engineer also did the group a solid and offered clean separation between channels, which helped). Professionals par excellence is the best way to pay this band a worthwhile compliment.
In a band of eight members, it’s natural for the singer to stand out. But Janeway is unusual in that he doesn’t unnecessarily overdo anything. In fact, despite the frequent bombast of his band’s 90-minute set, it was the quiet moments that proved most memorable.
That was key: When the band played a particularly scorching slow number, Grass is Greener, Janeway dropped a very convincing falsetto, bringing the crowd’s applause to a crescendo.
He caused a similar state of euphoria during Broken Bones and Pocket Change, the group’s signature song and the night’s best performance.
With a screaming wall of brass behind him, Janeway — having reached a state of emotional exhaustion — wrapped himself in a carpet splayed on the stage, before eventually finishing Broken Bones and Pocket Change exhausted and on his feet. His head was down, but his fist was raised, suggesting he had survived the heartbreak documented in the song. A well-deserved standing ovation followed.
The night’s opening act was Impulse Response, four top-tier Victoria performers whose collective resumé includes a few thousand shows in this town. The experience was evident.
The tag-team vocals of Shanna Dance and Alexander Ferguson (who also showed some skills on keyboards) were on point during the band’s 30-minute set, but the drumming and sax work by Damian Graham and Johnnie Bridgman, respectively, was equally impressive.
The group plays classy soul music, but with a punch. Catch them when you can.
St. Paul and the Broken Bones will be more difficult to track as a new album due in September could put them over the top. But if they come around these parts again, it’s a guarantee they won’t fly under the radar. Not with the memories of this show still in circulation.
