Soul Strutter: KISS's Paul Stanley Debuts Retro Cover Band Soul Station at the Roxy
When it comes to the members of stadium-rockers/blood-spitters/facepaint-slatherers/unabashed merch-peddlers KISS, the adjective �authentic� doesn�t immediately spring to mind. And most people probably wouldn�t peg anyone in KISS as an aficionado of the golden age of Motown and Philly soul. But KISS�s Paul Stanley was a changed man � a man unmasked, or a man with nothing to lose, if you will � when he debuted his labor-of-love, note-for-note R&B cover band at Los Angeles�s 500-capacity Roxy club Friday night� with KISS�s longtime drummer Eric Singer playing behind him, and Gene Simmons and Bruce Kulick observing from the audience.
Taking the stage in a simple suit jacket, vest, and jeans with his crack 10-piece ensemble, Paul Stanley�s Soul Station, the 63-year-old rock legend � a man usually known for his wildly mouthy rock �n� roll banter � spent much of his between-song stage time pining for the soulful music of his youth. �There was a time not too long ago when you�d turn on the radio and you�d hear songs written by real songwriters, sung by real singers, played by real musicians,� he sighed at the start of the show. �These songs mean a lot of us� These songs were built to last� These songs weren�t written with a computer!�
It all could have seemed like the grumblings of some grumpy old man, a sort of rock �n� roll Andy Rooney, if Stanley hadn�t been so damn cheerful � and so utterly earnest. This was not some novelty act or a lark. Stanley�s respect and love for this material was admirably evident, whether he was doling out history lessons on Gamble & Huff, Stax/Volt, and Holland-Dozier-Holland or, in an uncharacteristically ego-free moment, letting gifted backup singer Crystal Starr handle wailing lead vocals on the Jackson 5�s �I Want You Back� (one of the set�s highlights) while he held back and simply rattled a tambourine.
�We�ve got great, great singers. I would be nothing without these singers,� Stanley admitted, referring to Starr and her fellow dynamite backup belters, Ayana Layli and Nelson Beato. �This feels like family. This feels really special� I am so thrilled and so humbled to be making this music with these people.�
As for when Stanley took the lead on '60s and '70s soul classics like the Temptations� �Just My Imagination,� Smokey Robinson�s �Tracks of My Tears,� or Al Green�s �Let�s Stay Together,� his vocals were disappointingly low in the mix and sometimes drowned out by the more robust Starr/Layli/Beato. (Someone needed to crank up the volume on his old-fashioned chrome microphone!) However, his falsetto soul croon was still surprisingly legitimate. And the fact that Soul Station stayed faithful to the songs� original arrangements � no show-offy metal guitar licks, no fussy arena drum solos, nothing reminiscent of Stanley�s famous main band � proved how much this music means to him.
In fact, Stanley�s enthusiasm was so infectious � straight through to the encore of �O-o-h Child,� a song he said he picked because of its message of optimism and hope � that not a single KISS Army member in the intimate audience ever cried out for �Love Gun� or �Detroit Rock City.� The fans were as respectful of this music as their idol was, making for a sweet night of soul celebration.
The full setlist for Paul Stanley�s Soul Station show at the Roxy was:
�Get Ready� (The Temptations)
�La-La Means I Love You� (The Delfonics)
�Just My Imagination� (The Temptations)
�Ooo Baby Baby� (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles)
�Sideshow� (Blue Magic)
�You Are Everything� (The Stylistics)
�Tracks of My Tears� (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles)
�Let�s Stay Together� (Al Green)
�Betcha by Golly, Wow� (The Stylistics)
�The Way You Do the Things You Do� (The Temptations)
�I Want You Back� (The Jackson 5)
�Who�s That Lady?� (The Isley Brothers)
�O-o-h Child� (The Five Stairsteps)
�This Old Heart of Mine� (The Isley Brothers)
�Could It Be I�m Falling in Love� (The Spinners)
