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Track List
01) Explode
02) This City
03) Dance Miserable
04) Spotlight (New Regrets)
05) The "I" in Lie
06) Run Dry (X Heart X Fingers)
07) Greed
08) Everybody Wants Somebody
09) Allie
10) Coast (It's Gonna Get Better)
11) This City
12) Bad Side of 25
13) People Never Done a Good Thing
14) When I Made You Cry
15) Mad at Nothing
16) Saturday Night Again
01) Explode
02) This City
03) Dance Miserable
04) Spotlight (New Regrets)
05) The "I" in Lie
06) Run Dry (X Heart X Fingers)
07) Greed
08) Everybody Wants Somebody
09) Allie
10) Coast (It's Gonna Get Better)
11) This City
12) Bad Side of 25
13) People Never Done a Good Thing
14) When I Made You Cry
15) Mad at Nothing
16) Saturday Night Again
3:24
3:40
3:33
3:19
4:25
8:25
4:11
4:21
3:37
3:37
3:32
5:24
3:07
3:49
3:50
3:43
Data Complete
70%
Total Rating
70%Total Rating
(2 users)
Back Cover
CD Art
3D Case
3D Thumb
3D Flat
3D Face
3D Spine
First Released
2011
Pop-Punk
---
Rock/Pop
Late Night
Medium
Album
0 copies
Album Description
Available in:
Soul Punk is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist, guitarist and composer of Fall Out Boy. It was released in the United States on October 18, 2011 through Island Records, with varying release dates in other regions. Stump's solo project was officially announced in January 2010 and he later revealed his first album's title to be Soul Punk. It is the first major musical project undertaken by Stump since Fall Out Boy's hiatus in late 2009. The album features no guest artists (besides a bonus remix track with guest vocals from Lupe Fiasco), and Stump wrote all the tracks and played all the instruments on the album, as well as handling production. Stump has been often compared to Michael Jackson, whom he has cited as a major influence. He has commented on the album being "90% metaphors."
To promote Soul Punk, Stump toured the U.S. twice and played dates in Europe, opened for Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae, played at Chicago and Japan music festivals, supported Panic! at the Disco on a month-long U.S. fall tour. He also did extensive radio tours to support his record. Rolling Stone included Soul Punk in their "Fall Music Preview: The Season's Hottest Albums" and Spin listed it in their "30 Must-Hear Albums of 2011." Soul Punk has had tentative release dates delayed and unconfirmed dates on the internet. Stump originally completed the album in 2010 and had a tentative February 2011 release date but re-did the finished album after he came up with a song called "This City". For the album's delay, in place of it is a digital EP, Truant Wave, containing six songs, three of which he collaborated with other artists, released on February 22, 2011 on iTunes.
On May 9, 2011 Stump uploaded "Explode", a track from the upcoming record to YouTube. A song remix of a Soul Punk track titled "This City" featuring Lupe Fiasco was uploaded to YouTube and was later released to iTunes and other online outlets on July 26 as the album's first single. Its music video was premiered on Vevo on September 20. Stump revealed the album cover art on September 7, again done by Aakash Nihalani, whom previously did the art for Truant Wave. Soul Punk is also available as a deluxe edition with additional tracks. The remix of "This City" is included as a bonus track on both album versions. iTunes' album preorders started on September 27 as well as physical CD preorders from Stump's webstore. With preorders from Stump's online store, a package with a lithograph by Roland Tamayo was available.
Soul Punk was released to generally positive reviews by most music critics, with many critics praising Stump's musical direction and songwriting skill, while the negative ones felt the album was too self-indulgent. The album debuted at No. 47 on the Billboard 200 with around 9,000 first week sales but fell off the week after, despite its critical reception and Stump's support.
User Album Review
I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but Patrick Stump’s first solo album is actually good. Hell, I daresay it occasionally straddles the line between greatness and excellence. Stump’s inclusion of electro-pop, R&B, and funk all help Soul Punk stand up as a varied and inventive album, one indubitably distinguished from Fall Out Boy’s pop-punk catalogue. It’s chock-full of resplendent vocal harmonies, the production is tip-top, and the feel-good tunes are almost inescapable from start to finish. Stump even employs metaphorical whimsy on most tracks - so subtle at times that it’s easy to miss. All of these ingredients initially point to a cultivated pop success, and it mostly is, but there’s a manifest error which proves problematic in the grand scheme of Stump’s approach.
While on the surface Soul Punk is one of those albums you kind of want to dislike, further listening reveals it to be wildly fun, however, very detached as well. Stump’s vocals occasionally impede the album’s success, but such is the risk taken in trying to emulate such a highly regarded pop star (Michael Jackson). Its most perceptible fault is also its greatest upside, nevertheless: it’s unashamedly poppy and tailored for radio play. It feels all at once manufactured and joyous, but there’s a clear lack of emotional depth. Not that I mean to suggest that pop music is always meant to elicit some kind of emotional response, because that’s patently false, but some of Soul Punk’s songs have been so processed and layered that the final product feels like it was designed for shock and awe more than to serve an artistic purpose.
The second and third tracks are a prime example of this. The former - “This City” - in particular feels hollow and done-up to appeal to what’s in vogue. Stump appears to be playing for a larger demographic, striving for mainstream popularity more than actually having fun with what he’s doing. His vocals might suggest otherwise, but the chorus is dull and by-the-book, and the utilization of hand-claps throughout make it seem gimmicky. “Dance Miserable” takes on a retro ‘80s feel of dance-pop which is, uh, nifty, but the chorus feels derivative of past ideas from Stump, and frankly showcases a rather self-indulgent vocal performance. Even with that said, the songs aren’t necessarily bad, just nowhere near as enjoyable as the rest. They also help epitomize the album’s main problem: it’s all a little detached and drenched in gloss. Almost every track here is as exuberant, shiny, and dressed-up with merriment, but they succeed more than the aforementioned two because of that immensely satisfactory feel-good vibe to them.
Stump shows his best traits on the latter half of the album. “Greed” is a perfect homage to old funk music, suavely moving along with gorgeous guitar chords and uplifting percussion. “Allie”, as well as many songs on the album, sees Stump simulate Michael Jackson’s vocalization as he reaches for the high notes -- sometimes he does this surprisingly well, and other times he goes a little over the score (“Dance Miserable”). Even the songs that aren’t as interesting as others feature great moments. “Coast” showcases some of the best drumming on the album, or in any pop song from 2011, for that matter; the heavenly bridge in “Spotlights (New Regrets)” saves it from being boring; even the brief moment of ambiance in “Everybody Wants Somebody” makes it seem memorable. Within all of these tunes are hidden messages as well. Sometimes they’re cryptic, other times they’re rather easy to make out, but still just as clever. Take the instance in “Run Dry” where Stump calls out the steps to what’s seemingly a drinking song:
‘Step one: drink
Step two: make mistakes
Step three: pretend you don't remember
Step four: drink a little more
Step five: I need to run dry
I'm going to take one more shot then I'm quitting forever
Cross my heart,
Cross my fingers.’
Is this fraught with an undercurrent of self-doubt? Maybe, maybe not. The point is, this album gets you thinking when you start to lift back its exterior mask. All in all, Soul Punk is a very ambitious album if only for the fact that everything, all of the lyrics, the production, the many instruments: guitars, piano, analog synthesizers, percussion, trumpet, valve trombone, alto and tenor saxophones, mandolin, etc., were all put together (and performed) by Patrick Stump alone. The amount of work put in here is massive, but it’s also tarnished slightly because of its lack of emotional depth. Even the lines hammered with staunch conviction contain an inclination of uncertainty. Patrick Stump has it in him to make a bold musical statement, but Soul Punk plays it a little too safe. But even if you don’t like what he’s going for here, its playfulness and creative merits alone make it, at least, an innocuous statement. I think Stump says it best in “Greed”: ‘It’s got vision, but it’s got no heart’.
External Album Reviews
None...
User Comments
Available in:
Soul Punk is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist, guitarist and composer of Fall Out Boy. It was released in the United States on October 18, 2011 through Island Records, with varying release dates in other regions. Stump's solo project was officially announced in January 2010 and he later revealed his first album's title to be Soul Punk. It is the first major musical project undertaken by Stump since Fall Out Boy's hiatus in late 2009. The album features no guest artists (besides a bonus remix track with guest vocals from Lupe Fiasco), and Stump wrote all the tracks and played all the instruments on the album, as well as handling production. Stump has been often compared to Michael Jackson, whom he has cited as a major influence. He has commented on the album being "90% metaphors."
To promote Soul Punk, Stump toured the U.S. twice and played dates in Europe, opened for Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae, played at Chicago and Japan music festivals, supported Panic! at the Disco on a month-long U.S. fall tour. He also did extensive radio tours to support his record. Rolling Stone included Soul Punk in their "Fall Music Preview: The Season's Hottest Albums" and Spin listed it in their "30 Must-Hear Albums of 2011." Soul Punk has had tentative release dates delayed and unconfirmed dates on the internet. Stump originally completed the album in 2010 and had a tentative February 2011 release date but re-did the finished album after he came up with a song called "This City". For the album's delay, in place of it is a digital EP, Truant Wave, containing six songs, three of which he collaborated with other artists, released on February 22, 2011 on iTunes.
On May 9, 2011 Stump uploaded "Explode", a track from the upcoming record to YouTube. A song remix of a Soul Punk track titled "This City" featuring Lupe Fiasco was uploaded to YouTube and was later released to iTunes and other online outlets on July 26 as the album's first single. Its music video was premiered on Vevo on September 20. Stump revealed the album cover art on September 7, again done by Aakash Nihalani, whom previously did the art for Truant Wave. Soul Punk is also available as a deluxe edition with additional tracks. The remix of "This City" is included as a bonus track on both album versions. iTunes' album preorders started on September 27 as well as physical CD preorders from Stump's webstore. With preorders from Stump's online store, a package with a lithograph by Roland Tamayo was available.
Soul Punk was released to generally positive reviews by most music critics, with many critics praising Stump's musical direction and songwriting skill, while the negative ones felt the album was too self-indulgent. The album debuted at No. 47 on the Billboard 200 with around 9,000 first week sales but fell off the week after, despite its critical reception and Stump's support.
User Album Review
I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but Patrick Stump’s first solo album is actually good. Hell, I daresay it occasionally straddles the line between greatness and excellence. Stump’s inclusion of electro-pop, R&B, and funk all help Soul Punk stand up as a varied and inventive album, one indubitably distinguished from Fall Out Boy’s pop-punk catalogue. It’s chock-full of resplendent vocal harmonies, the production is tip-top, and the feel-good tunes are almost inescapable from start to finish. Stump even employs metaphorical whimsy on most tracks - so subtle at times that it’s easy to miss. All of these ingredients initially point to a cultivated pop success, and it mostly is, but there’s a manifest error which proves problematic in the grand scheme of Stump’s approach.
While on the surface Soul Punk is one of those albums you kind of want to dislike, further listening reveals it to be wildly fun, however, very detached as well. Stump’s vocals occasionally impede the album’s success, but such is the risk taken in trying to emulate such a highly regarded pop star (Michael Jackson). Its most perceptible fault is also its greatest upside, nevertheless: it’s unashamedly poppy and tailored for radio play. It feels all at once manufactured and joyous, but there’s a clear lack of emotional depth. Not that I mean to suggest that pop music is always meant to elicit some kind of emotional response, because that’s patently false, but some of Soul Punk’s songs have been so processed and layered that the final product feels like it was designed for shock and awe more than to serve an artistic purpose.
The second and third tracks are a prime example of this. The former - “This City” - in particular feels hollow and done-up to appeal to what’s in vogue. Stump appears to be playing for a larger demographic, striving for mainstream popularity more than actually having fun with what he’s doing. His vocals might suggest otherwise, but the chorus is dull and by-the-book, and the utilization of hand-claps throughout make it seem gimmicky. “Dance Miserable” takes on a retro ‘80s feel of dance-pop which is, uh, nifty, but the chorus feels derivative of past ideas from Stump, and frankly showcases a rather self-indulgent vocal performance. Even with that said, the songs aren’t necessarily bad, just nowhere near as enjoyable as the rest. They also help epitomize the album’s main problem: it’s all a little detached and drenched in gloss. Almost every track here is as exuberant, shiny, and dressed-up with merriment, but they succeed more than the aforementioned two because of that immensely satisfactory feel-good vibe to them.
Stump shows his best traits on the latter half of the album. “Greed” is a perfect homage to old funk music, suavely moving along with gorgeous guitar chords and uplifting percussion. “Allie”, as well as many songs on the album, sees Stump simulate Michael Jackson’s vocalization as he reaches for the high notes -- sometimes he does this surprisingly well, and other times he goes a little over the score (“Dance Miserable”). Even the songs that aren’t as interesting as others feature great moments. “Coast” showcases some of the best drumming on the album, or in any pop song from 2011, for that matter; the heavenly bridge in “Spotlights (New Regrets)” saves it from being boring; even the brief moment of ambiance in “Everybody Wants Somebody” makes it seem memorable. Within all of these tunes are hidden messages as well. Sometimes they’re cryptic, other times they’re rather easy to make out, but still just as clever. Take the instance in “Run Dry” where Stump calls out the steps to what’s seemingly a drinking song:
‘Step one: drink
Step two: make mistakes
Step three: pretend you don't remember
Step four: drink a little more
Step five: I need to run dry
I'm going to take one more shot then I'm quitting forever
Cross my heart,
Cross my fingers.’
Is this fraught with an undercurrent of self-doubt? Maybe, maybe not. The point is, this album gets you thinking when you start to lift back its exterior mask. All in all, Soul Punk is a very ambitious album if only for the fact that everything, all of the lyrics, the production, the many instruments: guitars, piano, analog synthesizers, percussion, trumpet, valve trombone, alto and tenor saxophones, mandolin, etc., were all put together (and performed) by Patrick Stump alone. The amount of work put in here is massive, but it’s also tarnished slightly because of its lack of emotional depth. Even the lines hammered with staunch conviction contain an inclination of uncertainty. Patrick Stump has it in him to make a bold musical statement, but Soul Punk plays it a little too safe. But even if you don’t like what he’s going for here, its playfulness and creative merits alone make it, at least, an innocuous statement. I think Stump says it best in “Greed”: ‘It’s got vision, but it’s got no heart’.
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