All Categories — All Formats  

A very cool remake of this cut from Sharon Jones – produced by Ticklah here with a sweetly dubby vibe! "How Long" still has plenty of soul here, but it also takes on a bit of a Kingston groove too – stepping along with a 60s rocksteady vibe that supports Sharon's vocals surprisingly well – and really unlocks a whole new side of her talents. The dub version on the flip is even more inventive – and the whole thing's a great fresh look at the mighty Sharon Jones sound!

The long-anticipated second album from Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings is a stunner – undoubtedly stronger than the group's fantastic debut – and a record that not only transcends the late model funk revival genre, but stands on footing as solid as the best hard funky soul of the late 60s and early 70s! If you're expecting a rehash of the heavy funk jams that burned on the Dap Dippin' album you won't be disappointed, but get ready for a deep, natural (hence the title) soulfulness that not only caught us off guard, but really forms the big, hard-beating heart of the album. The frothing, frenetic funk is as tight as ever, and in spots just as furious, but the attention to songcraft this time out is just as searing and indelible. The eight piece Dap Kings continue to be the best band in the land – with El Michels on baritone sax, Neal Sugarman on tenor, Homer Steinweiss on drums, not-so-secret weapon Bosco Mann on bass, vibes and piano. Guest appearances include fellow Daptone powerhouse vocalist Lee Fields on the the duet "Stranded In Your Love", and strings courtesy of the Bushwick Philharmonic, but make no mistake, this is the band's album. Amazing stuff from in indispensable group – an album that'll keep spinning in our circles for as many years as the great albums by the gritty soul forefathers do! Tracks include "How Do I Let A Good Man Down?", "Natural Born Lover", "My Man Is A Mean Man", a soulful reading of Woodie Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land", "Your Thing Is A Drag", "Fish In A Dish" and "All Over Again".

Damn damn damn – maybe the funkiest album ever from Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings! The group have always been great, but there's something here that goes even farther than usual – an especially funky snap on the drums at the bottom, even on more laidback tunes – and a stone classic approach to funky soul, one that's definitely been honed to a "T" through their important work on the road during the previous few years! And Sharon Jones is great – with vocals that are way deeper and much longer-lasting than any rehab outpatient wannabe – sending home these tunes with a quality that may well pass most of her classic female soul inspirations from back in the day. And even though the set brings together some older singles and other odd bits, it's got a rock-solid punch that makes it a very unified album throughout! Titles include "Settling In", "I'm Not Gonna Cry", "When I Come Home", "Ain't No Chimneys In The Projects", "New Shoes", "Without A Trace", and "Inspiration Information".

Damn damn damn – maybe the funkiest album ever from Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings! The group have always been great, but there's something here that goes even farther than usual – an especially funky snap on the drums at the bottom, even on more laidback tunes – and a stone classic approach to funky soul, one that's definitely been honed to a "T" through their important work on the road during the previous few years! And Sharon Jones is great – with vocals that are way deeper and much longer-lasting than any rehab outpatient wannabe – sending home these tunes with a quality that may well pass most of her classic female soul inspirations from back in the day. And even though the set brings together some older singles and other odd bits, it's got a rock-solid punch that makes it a very unified album throughout! Titles include "Settling In", "I'm Not Gonna Cry", "When I Come Home", "Ain't No Chimneys In The Projects", "New Shoes", "Without A Trace", and "Inspiration Information".

They might be borrowing her band, but they sure can't dampen her soul – because Sharon Jones is strongly back in action, and sounding funkier and more deeply soulful than ever! Given that Sharon wasn't singing back in the 60s, it's hard to think we'd be calling her the real deal – but in a world of crossover classic-copping soul singers, or slightly rewarmed older acts, Jones is a true treat through and through – the kind of soul singer whose work still recalls the best era of the funky 45 underground! The mighty Dap-Kings are in full force here – snapping along the groove with a range of classic soul influences – styles borrowed from Memphis, Miami, Muscle Shoals, and more – all sifted down to some of the tightest grooves any singer ever had the chance of working with! The production is amazing – as sharp-edged as the music – and handled by Bosco Mann with a sound that's as faithful to the roots as the cover might imply. Titles include "100 Days 100 Nights", "Tell Me", "Be Easy", "Nobody's Baby", "When The Other Foot Drops Uncle", "Something's Changed", "Keep On Looking", "Answer Me", and "Humble Me".

The fourth album from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – solidifying what we learned pretty early on from the indomitable soul spirit that is Sharon and her impeccable combo the Dap-Kings – it's that this is not some retro soul revival novelty act, what they are is the greatest active embodiment of a true soul sound that will never go away! We've always loved that Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings recognize the studio and the stage as different worlds. On stage, Sharon is the possibly the most energetic, charismatic presence you'll ever see and the band brings heft and heat. In the studio, they stretch out and diversify wonderfully, bringing both raw, unpolished funky soul realness to some more stripped down numbers and a full on Stax or Hi level heaviness to the bigger ones. The songs are better and more memorable than ever on this record – with "The Game Gets Old" and "I Learned The Hard Way" (an astoundingly strong one/two punch for the opening minutes) plus "Better Things", "Give It Back", "Money". "The Reason", "Window Shopping", "I'll Still Be True", "Without A Heart", "If You Call" and "Mama Don't Like My Man".

Sharon's got her political agenda straight on this one – working with heavy heavy backings from the Dap-Kings on a hip message-oriented cut that ranks with the best of the early 70s! The groove's overflowing with tight wah wah guitar, topped off by some nice chromatic Willie Hutch-like work – all in service of Sharon's fierce vocals in the lead! "This Land" is a remake of the classic – taken to soul territory with a slow funk groove that's outta site – and in a style that we're sure Woody Guthrie would have approved himself!

Sharon Jones does a wonderful job with this classic – getting some hard funky backings from The Dap-Kings, and soaring out over the top with the best reading of the lyric we've ever heard! There's a tasty sax solo in the middle of the track – and the instrumental flipside offers even more!

A pair of the best tracks from the instant classic, mainstream attention seizing I Learned The Hard Way – "Better Things" and "Window Shopping on a 45 – as they should be, because these are neo jukebox classics of the highest caliber! "Better Things" is a perfect kiss off track, with Sharon convincing us she has "Better Things", and making it clear that no one's better than she is contemporary funky soul! "Window Shopping" is a slower cooking gem, keeping the groove at a funky simmer.

Gritty, powerful raw soul from Charles Bradley – the full length debut from the 62-year-old Brooklyn singer – backed perfectly by The Menahan Street Band! It's incredible, a record that sounds just as rawly emotional and impeccably soulful in 2011 as it would have in 1971 – much like the work Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, there's no mistaking this for anything but the real deal. Rough hewn in beautifully so – with perfect, funky backing by team Menahan. A timeless treasure! Titles include "In You (I Found A Love)", "I Believe In Your Love", "The Telephone Song", "Golden Rule", "How Long", "Trouble In The Land", "Since Our Last Goodbye", "Heartaches And Pain", "The World" and more.

A great set from tenorist Ian Hendrickson Smith – a player you might know from his work with Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings! Smith was in the Dap-Kings for a good part of the oughties, but has really opened up as a jazz musician too – and here, he really cooks in the wonderful setting of the Smalls Live series – hitting a tight, but openly-flowing groove that mixes together elements of 60s soul jazz with a few contemporary flavors as well! Instrumentation is almost all acoustic, save for the guitar of Al Street – and players include Marcus Parsley on trumpet, Rick Germanson on piano, Neal Miner on bass, Brian Floody on drums, and the mighty Bosco Mann on percussion! Titles include "Soweto Jam", "Love Is A Losing Game", "Our Day Will Come", "Butter Bean", and "Blues Medley".

A killer compilation of Daptone Gold – a funky and soulful collection that's a perfect snapshot of the sounds coming out of Daptone's House Of Soul recording studios in the aughties! The Daptone sound spins from a tight community of players with the deepest love and respect for the classic, be it funky instrumentals, gritty raw soul, with bits of Afrobeat and more. Daptone Gold includes some standard bearing label classics, rarities and previously unreleased tracks – incredible stuff from Binky Griptite, The Budos Band, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Lee Fields, Menahan Streetband, Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens and Antibalas. 23 tracks in all: a funky introduction and more from Binky Griptite, "Could Have Been" by Lee Fields, "Che Che Cole Makosa" by Antibalas feat Mayra Vega, "Nervous Like Me" by the Dap-Kings, "I Need You To Hold My Hand" Cynthia Langston & The Gospel Queens, "Stranded In Your Love" by Sharon Jones & Lee Fields and more. Incredible stuff, and a totally essential overview if this your first Daptone Purchase or fiftieth!

Gritty, powerful raw soul from Charles Bradley – the full length debut from the 62-year-old Brooklyn singer – backed perfectly by The Menahan Street Band! It's incredible, a record that sounds just as rawly emotional and impeccably soulful in 2011 as it would have in 1971 – much like the work Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, there's no mistaking this for anything but the real deal. Rough hewn in beautifully so – with perfect, funky backing by team Menahan. A timeless treasure! Titles include "In You (I Found A Love)", "I Believe In Your Love", "The Telephone Song", "Golden Rule", "How Long", "Trouble In The Land", "Since Our Last Goodbye", "Heartaches And Pain", "The World" and more. Expanded version features two bonus tracks – INCREDIBLE covers of Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold" and Nirvana's "Stay Away".