Half The City

With a charismatic, dynamic, and theatrical lead singer who seems to channel the intensity of James Brown on-stage, a loose and punchy two-man horn section, and a garage band back line that holds everything down, Birmingham, Alabama's St. Paul & the Broken Bones at their best capture a retro-soul sound that echoes nothing so much as the classic Stax and Muscle Shoals sides from the late '60s and early '70s.

Steeped in the Muscle Shoals tradition, this Alabama six-piece are powered by a remarkable singer in the shape of Paul Janeway, writes <strong>Robin Denselow</strong>