Breaking away from his previous musical style with Fall Out Boy, Stump has created what he considers a new genre of music: "soul punk", hence the title of the album. It has a heavy dance beat and lots of synthesizer, but each track is special and unique in the drum patterns, guitar patterns, or just mood. Stump singlehandedly wrote all the lyrics and recorded every layer of every track on this album. If that's not impressive, I don't know what is.
The track list is as follows:
1) Explode
2) This City
3) Dance Miserable
4) Spotlight (New Regrets)
5) The "I" in Lie
6) Run Dry (X Heart X Fingers)
7) Greed
8) Everybody Wants Somebody
9) Allie
10) Coast (It's Gonna Get Better)
11) BONUS TRACK: This City (feat. Lupe Fiasco)
"Explode" is a fun number, definitely a "get pumped" kind of song. The fast beat and catchy lyrics stick with you. Like "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", the second track of the album "This City" pays homage to Stump's own hometown, Chicago. "Dance Miserable" and "Spotlight (New Regrets)" both encourage the listener to get out and do their own thing, a sort of 'forget the haters' type deal. In contrast, "The 'I' in Lie" isn't such a happy, upbeat song. It's about a couple who are having an illicit affair, separate of their significant others, although it's tastefully written. "Run Dry" chronicles the life of an alcoholic. It is painfully catchy, as I find myself singing it in the car, and then have to stop myself because it's not socially acceptable to sing about your drinking addiction. "Greed" is almost aggressive, the lyrics especially clever as it critiques our societal affliction with, well, greed. "Everybody Wants Somebody" isn't a love song, or a breakup song; it's simply about a fact that many of us are all to familiar with: everyone wants somebody who doesn't want them. "Allie" is a catchy tune, describing a teenage relationship gone wrong. And "Coast (It's gonna Get Better)" is perhaps the best song on the album, reminding the listener to never give up, that there is always an out and there is always a positive future ahead.
Overall, "Soul Punk" is a genuinely unique album with the same heavy, funky dance beats that everyone loves on the radio with a brilliant lyrical integrity that, let's face it, no one expects when they hear the audio tracks. Definitely worth a listen for anyone who likes something catchy, something meaningful, and something just a little bit unexpected.
--as a bonus track, Patrick Stump invited Lupe Fiasco to rap about the city of Chicago over a shortened version of "This City". It's rap. It's social justice. It's awesome.
