A fantastic presentation of all that's wonderful with the mighty Daptone label – one of the hippest, funkiest record companies of the past few decades – the company that gave the world Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley, and other great artists – all of whom are heard here in an extended length live set! The package documents three nights of music at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem – home to famous live shows by James Brown – whose tight way of presenting a variety of singers is replicated here – as Daptone cycle through some of their hippest acts in the lead, offering up a few songs by each – while the mighty Dap Kings provide all the backing! There's a huge amount of songs by both Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley – plus more by Budos Band, Antibalas, Menahan Street Band, Como Mamas, Sugarman 3, Saun & Starr, and Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens – then everybody comes together to perform a version of "Family Affair" at the end! Binky Griptite acts as the MC for the evening – and the whole thing has a rock-solid sound that's every bit the best that Daptone can offer. (Deep Funk, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Damn amazing work from Charles Bradley – an instant soul classic for all generations, as you'll hear from the very first note! Not only are Bradley's vocals incredible – the kind of once-in-a-long-time approach he brought to his debut – but the backings and production are completely sublime too – magical music from the Menahan Street Band, who sound here like some lost combo from 60s Memphis, but without any of the hoke that reference might imply – instead that really unique approach that you'd only find on one of your few favorite vintage soul albums – maybe Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers, or Jesse James on his 60s album for 20th Century! Yet the sound here isn't just vintage for vintage sake, either – as there's an intensity that's very present, contemporary, and urgent – a sound that doesn't die – and which just gets better and better with each new listen. Tremendous stuff – even from the Daptone universe we've been loving for years and years – with titles that include "Strictly Reserved For You", "You Put The Flame On It", "Dusty Blue", "Love Bug Blues", "Hurricane", "Through The Storm", "Confusion", and "Where Do We Go From Here". (Deep Funk, Soul) CD

The great thing about Lee Fields is that he just keeps on giving – giving us the sort of deep soul music that first caught our ears back when he was recording in near obscurity for a small southern label – and which has finally gotten the attention it deserves in recent decades! Lee's got the ability to sing at the level of an Otis Redding or James Carr, but without sounding like he's trying to copy the classics – and for good reason too, as Lee is the classic – maybe a bit younger than Redding and Carr, but not by much – and more than able to take southern soul strongly into the contemporary generation, with slow-burning genius on titles that include "Ordinary Lives", "Sentimental Fool", "The Door", "Forever", "Two Jobs", "Without A Heart", "Your Face Before My Eyes", and "Extraordinary Man". (Deep Funk, Soul) CD

The great thing about Lee Fields is that he just keeps on giving – giving us the sort of deep soul music that first caught our ears back when he was recording in near obscurity for a small southern label – and which has finally gotten the attention it deserves in recent decades! Lee's got the ability to sing at the level of an Otis Redding or James Carr, but without sounding like he's trying to copy the classics – and for good reason too, as Lee is the classic – maybe a bit younger than Redding and Carr, but not by much – and more than able to take southern soul strongly into the contemporary generation, with slow-burning genius on titles that include "Ordinary Lives", "Sentimental Fool", "The Door", "Forever", "Two Jobs", "Without A Heart", "Your Face Before My Eyes", and "Extraordinary Man". (Deep Funk, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – a set that took a bit longer to hit the racks than expected, but which really shows a richness that more than makes up for the delay! Sharon's a singer who's always been great – but she steps out strongly here with a sense of maturity that seems to take her vocals even farther than before – and The Dap Kings are more than ready to match her energy with some funky work of their own! Jones has gone through a lot in recent years – both with the band and in her own personal life – and the record's a proud summation of life's challenges and triumphs, served up in the instant-classic style that has made Sharon one of the greatest living soul singers of the past few decades. Bosco Mann knocked things out of the park with his raw production – and also wrote a good number of tracks on the set too – and titles include "Making Up & Breaking Up", "Long Time Wrong Time", "People Don't Get What They Deserve", "Retreat", "Stranger To My Happiness", and "Now I See". (Deep Funk, Soul) CD

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". (Deep Funk, Soul) CD

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". (Deep Funk, Soul) CD

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". (Deep Funk, Soul) CD

Jalen Ngonda's a hell of a soul singer, and he's working here in a stunning setting that really does justice to his fantastic voice – a larger set of arrangements than you'd usually hear on a Daptone Record, in a way that rises up with a really majestic sort of vibe! Ngonda's got a way of mixing raw and smooth that almost brings to mind Marvin Gaye – and we don't use that sort of reference lightly – yet he can also slide into more of a sweet soul style too, which creates this range of expression that really deepens the record in a great way! And speaking of vibe, there's some nice vibes in the backings – and cool strings, excellent basslines, and tight percussion – on titles that include "Just Like You Used To", "So Glad I Found You", "Rapture", "It Takes A Fool", "Come Around & Love Me", "What A Difference She Made", and "Give Me Another Day". (Deep Funk, Soul) CD

Jalen Ngonda's a hell of a soul singer, and he's working here in a stunning setting that really does justice to his fantastic voice – a larger set of arrangements than you'd usually hear on a Daptone Record, in a way that rises up with a really majestic sort of vibe! Ngonda's got a way of mixing raw and smooth that almost brings to mind Marvin Gaye – and we don't use that sort of reference lightly – yet he can also slide into more of a sweet soul style too, which creates this range of expression that really deepens the record in a great way! And speaking of vibe, there's some nice vibes in the backings – and cool strings, excellent basslines, and tight percussion – on titles that include "Just Like You Used To", "So Glad I Found You", "Rapture", "It Takes A Fool", "Come Around & Love Me", "What A Difference She Made", and "Give Me Another Day". (Deep Funk, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

We've loved the music of Lee Fields for many many years – but these days, he seems to be sounding even better than ever – taking all of his decades of experience in soul music, and blending his deep soul roots with an even more mature, open sort of style! And even though Lee's early work was great, we never would have imagined the greatness he can hit with a record like this – a set that draws on so many currents of classic soul, but finds a way to make a statement that's totally personal, totally original, and totally out of sight all the way through! Fields has a fantastic raspy vocal style, but he never just lets that stand as his calling card – because he's really bringing new inflections, new inspirations to the music – all while working with superb backing from Leon Michels and The Expressions. If you can imagine Hi Records mixed with James Brown mixed with New Jersey soul mixed with Daptone mixed with The Impressions – then you've only got part of the multi-faceted genius of this set. Titles include "Two Faces", "You're What's Needed In My Life", "Love Prisoner", "Will I Get Off Easy", "It Rains Love", "Love Is The Answer", "A Promise Is A Promise", and "Blessed With The Best". CD features the bonus track "Don't Give Up". (Deep Funk, Soul) CD

We've loved the music of Lee Fields for many many years – but these days, he seems to be sounding even better than ever – taking all of his decades of experience in soul music, and blending his deep soul roots with an even more mature, open sort of style! And even though Lee's early work was great, we never would have imagined the greatness he can hit with a record like this – a set that draws on so many currents of classic soul, but finds a way to make a statement that's totally personal, totally original, and totally out of sight all the way through! Fields has a fantastic raspy vocal style, but he never just lets that stand as his calling card – because he's really bringing new inflections, new inspirations to the music – all while working with superb backing from Leon Michels and The Expressions. If you can imagine Hi Records mixed with James Brown mixed with New Jersey soul mixed with Daptone mixed with The Impressions – then you've only got part of the multi-faceted genius of this set. Titles include "Two Faces", "You're What's Needed In My Life", "Love Prisoner", "Will I Get Off Easy", "It Rains Love", "Love Is The Answer", "A Promise Is A Promise", and "Blessed With The Best". (Deep Funk, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

The great Roy Ayers joins Soul Society for this classic 90s set – a record that was really forging deep funk territory years before Daptone, Colemine, and all the contemporary labels got into the game! Soul Society's a German collective of musicians and singers with a great ear for 70s grooves, but who also do just the right job of updating the music too – and they wisely chose Roy Ayers' vibes to help shade in all sorts of great aspects of this albums – bringing Roy back from almost-retirement, at a time when most of the rest of the world wasn't giving him a chance to record! Titles include remakes of "Everybody Loves The Sunshine", "Funky Nassau", and "Smiling Faces" – plus "Feed Me Your Love", "Spaced Out", "Pusher", and "Money Mad". (New Grooves, Soul) CD