madison blogs
February 2008
If you like impeccably authentic Southern-tinged soul direct from the source, with a rhythm and a horn section as tight as you like, this is for you!
Sharon Jones - a true soul survivor.
If you’re getting cheesed of with supposed hot new artists and bands being tipped for the top having hardly played a gig and being thrust, blinking into the limelight via shows such as X Factor, there is in fact a band around who actually might be the next hot thing in 2008! Their singer has been around the music business for about 30 years so they’re hardly an overnight sensation. They’re collectively known as Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings. You’ve probably already heard them, they provided the authentically sleazy sound, thanks to producer Mark Ronson, on Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black album.
Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings have produced three albums; Dap-Dippin’, Naturally and most recently, 100 days, 100 nights. Each album is packed full of a particularly raw, sweaty, brand of funky classic soul, similar to the good stuff that came out of Memphis and the Muscle Schoals studios in the late sixties. From the sleeve design to the songs it’s unashamedly retro but with a very ‘contemporary’ vibe. The 51 year old Jones has been previously turned down by various record companies on the grounds that she was either, ‘too fat, too short, too dark-skinned or too old’. Listening to her now is the result of 30 years of pent-up talent and ambition finally getting an outlet!
The musicians in the Dap-Kings have been together in various formats for a dozen years, originally recording on the Desco label. When Desco ceased operating, Daptone was formed in 2000 by Sugarman and Gabriel Roth (producer and bass player with the Dap-Kings). To begin with they operated out of Sugarman’s apartment, but then found an abandoned house they could afford to rent and turned it into the Daptone studios. If you drove past the Daptone studios in Bushwick, Brooklyn, it might remind you a little of the original Motown studios, in that it looks just like a normal house on a normal street. While working with Ronson has stretched the Dap-Kings into wider musical territories, they have also recently been recording with Al Green, taking them right back into their old-school soul heartland. Similarly, Sharon Jones has played with the celebrated Stax musicians Booker T and the MGs.
Sharon Jones is the genuine product, a true soul survivor. Born and raised in James Brown's home town Augusta Georgia, whipped into shape by the church and gospel. She’s the true grits and gravy. Had she been around in the sixties she would've been stiff competition to Aretha Franklin and Etta James. In 2008 she's the real deal!
Fri 26th Sep 2008