Was it really that long ago that Fall Out Boy rocketed to mega-stardom because of heavy MTV airplay and the flocks of teenage-girl fans swooning over bassist and band mascot Pete Wentz’s mascaraed eyes and emo doo?
Actually? Yes. The summer of 2005 is six years in the past, and the emo genre has imploded. In the time sense, after significantly fewer returns on latter discs, Fall Out Boy has called it quits, leaving the quiet, anti-frontman Patrick Stump alone to take in all the limelight on his first solo disc, Soul Punk.
Stump’s abilities as soulful crooner were always evident in the bands work, but sometime his over-zealous vocal runs seemed out of place with the bands pop-punk tunes. On Soul Punk, Stump finally proves that he always had the inner pop star inside of him. Though not quite soul, and definitely far from punk, Stump creates an 11-song set full of a number pop gems, laced with smart, dance-y beats, funky instrumentation inspired by 80’s pop and R&B and a stunning vocal range.
Though Stump shows he knows his way around a synthesizer, he proves he knows nothing about picking a single. Lead singles “This City” and “Spotlight (New Regrets)” are by far the least interesting songs on the album and have the listener wishing that Wentz was still penning the lyrics for the tracks because Stump’s prove to be generic and dull.
With the exception of those lows, Stump hits many highs on the album. On the massive “Run Dry (XHeartXFingers),” clocking in at an ambitious 8:25, Stump laments on his drinking habits over a funk-fused bass line, which around the 4-minute mark breaks down into a Prince-esque groove that parties like it’s 1999. The song is grand, confident and the high watermark of the album.
However, it’s the second half of the album where Stump begins to settle into his new skin. On “Greed” Stump uses a muted guitar riff to drive a raving number that urges all the Bernie Madoffs of the world to get up and dance. “Everybody Wants Somebody” is the bona-fide hit of the album, utilizing a trumpet and Stump’s wonderful falsetto to create a catchy song that would be sure to catch fire on Top-40 radio.
Overall Soul Punk is a smart and sassy collection of catchy pop tunes that is propelled forward by Stump’s incredible vocal range. Not since Daryl Hall has pop music had a white boy who sings with so much soul. The real kicker is that Stump produced and played every instrument on the album by himself, an astonishing feat that listeners shouldn’t ignore. Though the album starts off shaky, Stump has made a pop album that stacks up against the best of the year.
4/5 |
