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CeCe Winans and St. Paul & the Broken Bones bring pure soul to ACL Season 42

Austin City Limits presents a soul-stirring hour of high voltage gospel with the legendary CeCe Winans and soul sensations St. Paul & The Broken Bones.

Gospel superstar CeCe Winans dazzles with a joyful spirit and a powerful voice in her first-ever appearance on the ACL stage. The ten-time Grammy-winning legend takes us to church with a buoyant set backed by her eleven-piece band, performing songs from Let Them Fall in Love, her first album in nearly a decade. Winans opens with the Motown meets southern soul burner “Hey Devil!” – a playful rebuke to temptation, tossing in a chorus of “Hit the Road, Jack” for good measure. A set highlight is new gem “Lowly,” a feel-good raver filled with soaring choruses and delightful interplay between Winans and her backup singers. She delivers a powerhouse take on “Why Me Lord,” the Kris Kristofferson classic, bringing the house down. Closing out her exuberant set with “Dancing in the Spirit,” the gospel giant leads a jubilant sing and dance-along that has the audience on their feet singing her praises.

Named “one of rock’s hottest live acts,” by Rolling Stone, the Birmingham, Alabama soul outfit St. Paul & The Broken Bones fire up the crowd in a thrilling ACL debut, armed with songs from their acclaimed sophomore release Sea of Love. Dynamic frontman Paul Janeway, decked out in a cherry-red suit with checkerboard trim, promises the crowd “we gon’ take you there,” and he delivers. The blistering set offers non-stop scorchers with a show-stopping performance by Janeway, whose voice has earned comparisons to soul greats Al Green and Otis Redding, and whom, NPR says, “channels a fire-and-brimstone energy”. “Let’s take it to the heavens,” says the colorful bandleader for the rousing set-closer “Burning Rome,” as he drops to his knees, preaching his soul-fire gospel and making a believer out of everyone.

photo by Scott Newton

“A CeCe Winans performance is almost a religious experience in itself, but no matter your beliefs, you’ll be inspired to sing, shout and dance by this show,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “St. Paul & The Broken Bones is unlike anything you’ve ever seen or heard. Taken together, this is an unmitigated hour of joy!”

Tune in this weekend for this episode, and, as always, check your local PBS listings for the broadcast time in your area. Go to the episode page for more info, and don’t forget to click over to our Facebook, Twitter and newsletter pages for more ACL info. Tune in next week for a brand new episode, featuring the ACL debut of British rock sensation Foals and the return of rocking Texas singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo.