“Well, it’s not ‘Live to Win,’ is it?”
So went my first comment on Paul Stanley’s new project, Paul Stanley’s Soul Station. I had just heard the advance single, “O-O-H Child.”
Paul Stanley’s Soul Station’s debut album, Now and Then, is a collection of nine covers and five originals, all of them classic soul (or not straying very far from it). (And you’ll know the covers even if you’re not a big soul fan. “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love”? “The Tracks of My Tears”? “Ooo Baby Baby”? Yeah.)
Maybe this shouldn’t surprise us so much. Paul has actually “cheated on” hard rock rather prolifically. From a well-regarded turn as the Phantom to a pop duet with Sarah Brightman, he’s been—well, maybe not exactly here before, but definitely far outside what would go on a Kiss record.
Bottom line: you’re not going to get rib-cracking guitars and cornball cock rock choruses. However, this record is not such a bad thing to do with 48 minutes or so, particularly if you’re already a Paul Stanley fan. Thanks to his talents and a top-notch band, there is nothing here you can’t jump right in and groove to.
Moreover, it’s quite an accomplishment to place five originals among these soul standards comfortably. The songs work on their own merits, but is there a little splash of Kiss in there somewhere too? I believe there is. Listen to “I, Oh I” and imagine it performed and produced as a Kiss song.
This is not the place to get into perceived shortcomings of the Kiss farewell tour. I will point out, however, that if we wish to enjoy Paul Stanley’s singing and songwriting beyond his tenure as the Starchild, this is the sort of thing we can expect. Paul will have just entered his 70s when the Kiss tour ends, and bringing his talents to something that doesn’t require so much screaming and gyrating is an excellent way for him to continue scratching his musical itch and entertaining us.
It’s a worthy pickup. Go buy it.
8/10
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