Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – “I Learned the Hard Way”
Daptone Records
-out now!
4 / 5

So you’ve been lamenting the end of Motown ever since you learned about the Temptations and the Four Tops. We’ll, we’ve got good news for you: Motown is alive and well in Sharon Jones. The powerful singer belts in the tradition of Diana Ross, and her Dap-Kings back her all the way: horns, backup singers, strings and glockenspiel carry the tradition of the Supremes et al. It’s no surprise that many groups of the Supremes’ era have carried well over the years, as they contain powerful lead singers and harmonies, as well as deep, layered instrumentation that damn well grooves. Jones and her Dap-Kings have certainly done their homework with all the above, and the feel they produce here could easily have fit into the golden ’60s. It’s classic (and classy) music executed the way it should be: full-force, for the sheer love of it. This worthy visitation of a difficult genre makes all the hard stuff seem easy, just the way it should be. Recommended.

Listen to: “I Learned the Hard Way”: www.myspace.com/453173424

No Comments

  1. Cool. THanks for giving us Sharon Jones. Great music. In a way, it's like the female answer to Raphael Saadiq (just in a way).

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