Paul Stanley’s Soul Station Previews Debut Album With Cover of Five Stairsteps’ ‘O-o-h Child’

Kiss’ Paul Stanley and his band Soul Station have released a cover of the Five Stairsteps’ 1970 hit, “O-o-h Child,” from their upcoming tribute album, Now and Then, out March 5th via UMe.

Stanley and Soul Station perform a faithfully exuberant rendition of “O-o-h Child,” with the 15-piece ensemble band crafting a lush arrangement packed with big horns and swooning harmonies. Stanley delivers a tender lead vocal performance as well, while there’s a bit of his big rock roots embedded in the searing guitar that appears throughout the track.

Soul Station has been a pet project for Stanley dating back to the group’s live debut in 2015. They’ve toured regularly around the United States and Japan, but it wasn’t until recently that they were able to get in the studio and record Now and Then.

“Long before I ever heard the great British bands, I grew up listening to Philly Soul, Motown, and so much more,” Stanley said in a statement. “I was lucky to see Otis Redding and Solomon Burke among others. That music and its storytelling gave me strength and hope even in some tough days. The great classics of that era are magical medicine for most and I felt myself drawn back to that era for some sorcery I think we could all use.”

Now and Then will feature nine covers of classic soul and R&B songs, as well as five original tracks. Along with the band’s rendition of “O-o-h Child,” other covers include the Spinners’ “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” the Temptations’ “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me),” the Miracles’ “Tracks of My Tears,” and the Delfonics’ “La-La (Means I Love You).” The album will also feature the band’s take on Smokey Robinson’s “Ooo Baby Baby,” for which they released a video last May.

As for the new material on the record, Stanley said: “Between us doing some great Soul Station shows and starting the album I started to think that neither the band nor the music we love should depend only on the past so I started writing with the goal of seamlessly taking songs into the present. From what a lot of people I respect have told me, that mission was accomplished.”

Joining Stanley in Soul Station is Rafael “Hoffa” Moreira on guitar and backing vocals, Sean Hurley on bass, Alex Alessandroni on keys (he’s also the group’s musical director), Ely Rise on keys, Eric Singer on drums and backing vocals, Ray Yslas on percussion, Jon Pappenbrook on lead trumpet, and Gavyn Rhone, Crystal Starr and, Laurhan Beato on backing vocals.

Now and Then Tracklist

1. “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” (the Spinners cover)
2. “I Do”
3. “I, Oh I”
4. “Ooo Baby Baby” (Smokey Robinson cover)
5. “O-o-h Child” (the Five Stairsteps cover)
6. “Save Me (From You)”
7. “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” (the Temptations cover)
8. “Whenever You’re Ready (I’m Here)”
9. “The Tracks of My Tears” (the Miracles cover)
10. “Let’s Stay Together” (Al Green cover)
11. “La-La (Means I Love You)” (the Delfonics cover)
12. “Lorelei”
13. “You Are Everything” (the Stylistics cover)
14. “Baby I Need Your Loving” (the Four Tops cover)