Live Review: St Paul & The Broken Bones, Alice Terry

Alice Terry gave a spirited performance opening for the main attraction. Her thunderous voice was complemented by beautiful lyrics and soul-infused musicianship. She had an enchanting presence on stage to shake the rainy day blues.

The anticipation grew as the clock pushed towards 8.30pm. The room filled as people battled the wet weather to witness St Paul & The Broken Bones make their debut performance in Australia. The soul band from Birmingham, Alabama took Sydney by storm, warming up for a string of shows at Bluesfest over Easter.

These guys are the real deal, boasting a solid and tight group of accomplished musicians. The drummer, Andrew Lee, while a little uptight, eased his way into the gig, showcasing his diverse talents in songs like a cover of The Beatles' I Want You (She's So Heavy) and Grass Is Greener.

Guitarist Browan Lollar, and bass player Jesse Phillips created nuance in the stock-standard soul scores, breathing new life into the ever-enduring genre. Each added shades of blues, Lollar incorporating elements of funk and Phillips with hints of jazz.

The keys, played by Al Gamble were immaculate and fit very well with the flow. The horn section gave admirable performances also, providing light, shade and colour. The effect was larger than life and seemingly timeless.

But the show was stolen — of course — by the gallivanting frontman, Paul Janeway. He was out-of-his-skin good, a spectacle to behold with a barnstorming voice developed in a childhood of gospel and then applied seamlessly to soul.

It's easy to see why Janeway has been pegged as the white reincarnation of Otis Redding when he belts out some of Redding's biggest hits like Try A Little Tenderness and Shake with all the zeal and energy of that immortal marvel of Southern soul.

The band played with tenacity and vivacity, spurred on by a thankful and humbled audience and the frenetic and commanding Janeway. "Man, y'all came ready. I like it!" said the frontman, visibly wowed by the reception the band found on their first outing Down Under. Here was a gig proving soul music is alive and well across the world.