NEW
Kiss' Paul Stanley Croons Unadorned
R&B Classics at Soul Station Debut
by Pete Malamas - NOISE Magazine January 30, 2023
There were no fireworks or kabuki makeup, no lightning bolts or platform heels, but Paul Stanley of Kiss found some genuine emotional power in a set of classic Sixties and Seventies R&B Friday night at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. It was the first public performance of Paul Stanley's Soul Station, and it was clearly a labor of love for the singer, way outside his usual rock comfort zone of bombast and shouting out loud. The Starchild had come to share his true love of Motown and Philly soul.
KISS' Paul Stanley preforming with Soul Station
"There was a time not that long ago when you would turn on the radio and you'd hear songs written by real songwriters, songs sung by real singers, played by real musicians," he explained to the whistling, cheering crowd at the 500-capacity club on the Sunset Strip. "These songs mean a lot to us. They're beautiful songs. You could sway and touch the person next to you — you could also get punched in the face. I think you're going to like this."
Before the Roxy show, Soul Station had played just twice before at benefit events for the school attended by one of Stanley's children. Now he plans to tour the band between his ongoing dates with Kiss. At the end of the night, he summed up the sound and tradition he hoped to share with his fans: "Real musicians, real music, really cool."
