The single, which features Lupe Fiasco, is from Stump's upcoming solo debut, Soul Punk. The record has been plagued with delays, but Stump stated yesterday via Twitter, "My album Soul Punk will be available October 18th."
I was never big into Fall Out Boy, but one thing Stump carries over from his time in that band is a serious knack for catchy. "This City" is pretty bad (go ahead, listen), but damn if it doesn't get stuck firmly in your head.
While the tune sounds like it was tailor made for some reality show (maybe, say, The City on MTV?), you gotta give Stump credit for penning an loving ode to his hometown of Chicago.
The song sounds like it's going to be a hit -- but we thought it would be fun to take a look at seven artists who did the whole "soul punk" thing long before Stump decided to give his R&B/pop-punk hybrid a go.
Dexy's Midnight Runners
Dexy's may be best known for their hit "Come On, Eileen," but they were punks deep into Northern Soul long before they had big hits. NME writer Mike Cordery said the band had no soul, writing the music possessed "no tenderness, no sex, no wit, no laughter," but it doesn't sound that way to me.
The Style Council
Paul Weller's time in The Jam demonstrated plenty of R&B influences, but with his post-Jam group The Style Council he brought the soul influences to the forefront. Not all the songs were perfect -- but songs like "Walls Come Tumbling Down" groove like a punk rock Van Morrison kicking over a stack of Tamla '45s.
Grace Jones
Boasting an androgynous look on loan from New Wave and punk, Grace Jones' sound was all disco-tempo soul. Plus, she gets bonus points for being in Conan the Destroyer.
Daryl Hall
Daryl Hall, on a break from Philly soul-duo Hall & Oates, cut a record in 1977 with art-rock statesman Robert Fripp (King Crimson). As expected, tunes like the punky "NYCNY" got record execs freaking out. The album was finally released in 1980. It sold well, but got little promotion. Who knows where Hall might have went if he stayed on this path?
Betty Davis
Not only did Betty Davis inspire her then-husband Miles to explore electric funk, but she issued three of the seventies nastiest soul-funk records, with a fourth effort, Is It Love or Desire?, recorded in 1976 but not released until 2009. Her primal, gutsy scream easily puts her in the league with Iggy and The MC5 as a proto-punk goddess.
Rick James
Sure, we all laugh at the Dave Chappelle skits, but James truly rocked. Read this brilliant article from Creem Magazine for the whole story. He called his music "punk funk," and he always gave great quotes: "Right now I got a few million dollars and I'm doing all right; I hope to have 20 million soon, so I can sit back real fat like Mick Jagger and Rod Stewart and all them other assholes who sit out there and talk shit and procrastinate and talk that hypocritical ass bullshit about their 'art'..."
The Gossip
Beth Ditto's got a truly great voice. The best soul music manages to perfectly combine emotion with melody, and she's got the trick down.
