It has been a week since I wrote a
review and for this, gentle readers, I apologize.
This is because I was going to see
this next band in concert and I wanted to spend a full week immersing myself in
their music so I could review both the new album and the show (both are below).
This also meant that Guns ‘N’
Roses, who were slated to be the next album I reviewed randomly, were bumped. I
might’ve felt worse about it except for all the times Axl Rose has left fans
hanging when he cancelled a show. It was high time someone cancelled on them.
So instead, I am going to give the
people what they want – or at least what I want, and I’m people too. Guns ‘N’
Roses will be coming soon.
Disc 608 is…. Give The People What They Want
Artist: Sharon
Jones and the Dap-Kings
Year of Release: 2013
What’s up with the Cover? Half Royal Seal of Soul,
half hippy dream sequence. This cover has it all, from ornate lettering, to golden
steps to flying pigs. At the centre of it all is Ms. Jones herself, looking
like the strong self-assured woman she is.
How I Came To Know It: This was just me buying the latest release from the
band, as I have been a fan since 2010’s “I Learned the Hard Way.” That album came my way after my friend Nick
liked the look of it and took a flier on it, so while the new album is on me,
getting into Sharon Jones in the first place I owe to Nick.
How It Stacks Up: I have four Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings albums. I
am still missing their compilation album “Soul Time” as well as their debut,
“Dap-Dippin’ With Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.” Of the four I have, I must
reluctantly rank “Give The People What They Want” fourth. So it goes.
Rating: 3 stars
Being a successful revivalist act means
walking that narrow line between being true to the original art form, and
creative enough in your own right to be fresh and new in your approach. Sharon
Jones and the Dap-Kings have mastered walking this line, bringing sixties and
seventies soul music back with a vengeance.
This is my fourth Sharon Jones
album, and I have yet to be disappointed. “Give the People…” is more of what
makes this band great. The swinging rhythm is a mix of James Brown’s visceral
funk and the more subdued and accessible Motown Records sound. The songs, however,
are Dap-Kings originals. While they could easily be transplanted back forty
years and still be hits, they also sound fresh today. This just underscores
that a good song is a good song, regardless of what might be the fashion of the
times.
In the case of “Give the People…” Sharon
Jones is a bit more Supremes and a bit less James Brown than usual. The tracks
have more early sixties background harmonies and is overall less funky than the
bands’ earlier records. If you like that more polished side of soul, this is
the album for you.
My preferences fall more toward
the James Brown side of the equation and so as a result I prefer the earlier records
I’ve heard. I do think this is merely a preference thing, though, and you just
need to know what kind of soul and funk you like to know if this is the album
for you.
The songs themselves are beautifully
written and performed. The horn section is crisp and carries the energy of the
songs, and Bosco Mann’s bass and Binky Griptite’s guitar shoulder the swinging
soul groove that makes this style of music so singularly interesting. Also, it
is hard to imagine two guys with cooler names.
On that note, I would be remiss
not to generously tip my hat to Bosco Mann in particular for his vision in
founding this band and bringing it all together. Mann writes half the songs on
the record including “Stranger to My
Happiness” which I consider the standout.
Sharon Jones was diagnosed with cancer
in June 2013 but you’d never know it to hear this record, where her voice is
still a power house. For all of Bosco Mann’s genius, you need a great lead
singer for these songs, and Sharon Jones is definitely that.
While I missed the funkier
qualities of the earlier albums, “Give the People…” is still a quality entry into
the band’s discography, and a welcome addition to my music collection.
Best tracks: Stranger to
My Happiness, You’ll Be Lonely, Now I See, Long Time Wrong Time
The Concert – April 4, 2014 at the Alix Goolden Hall
I might have missed this concert
if it weren’t for my friend Patrick who tipped me off that Sharon Jones was
coming to town. Sheila and I attended with Patrick and his wife Yvonne and a
fine time was had by all.
The Alix Goolden hall is an old
church and the acoustics are amazing, and I love seeing shows there. The one
downside is the general seating system they employ, which means you have to
line up an hour before the show to get a good spot. This time we were only 30
minutes early and I was nervous about getting into our usual favourite spot,
but fortunately it all worked out. I’d tell you where that is, but it is a
state secret.
British R&B singer and
guitarist James Hunter opened the show. Hunter plays in a very old school style that reminded
me of Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly. His guitar has a very sharp, percussive style
and fills the room with a nice tone. He was hampered a bit by the sound, which
was overamplified and causing distortion. I liked him, but he didn’t blow me
away.
Then the Dap-Kings arrived and
they did blow me away. Guitarist Binky Griptite plays the role of band leader,
exhorting the audience to get into it in a way that never feels desperate or
forced.
The band was exceptionally tight
and every song had a groove that had you moving in your seat, or getting you
out of it. Within five minutes of the show starting, everyone on the floor was
up and dancing.
Sharon Jones is a force of nature
on stage. Dancing around with genuine enthusiasm and a personality that was so
big it threatened to blow the stained glass windows out of the old Alix Goolden
Hall. At one point she danced herself right out of her shoes, but when she
recovered herself she put them back on; Ms. Jones is a lady, after all.
At one point she had an extended
run showing off sixties and seventies dances. I can’t remember them all, but I’m
pretty sure I saw the chicken and maybe the swim. Whatever they were, the
energy of all the fly moves was infectious. The whole experience felt like a
traveling revival show, but without all the gloomy prophecy.
Jones also invited a young hipster
up on stage early on and serenaded him with a spirited and sassy version of “You’ll Be Lonely.” The hipster had some
moves of his own and was a fine addition to the show.
In fact, later on the band bravely
invited people on stage wholesale and managed to play admirably while
surrounded by 30 or 40 Victorians shaking their groove things. I was not among
them (the last time I tried to dance with the young kids I wrecked the
ligaments in my thumb).
As for the set list, the band
played most of the songs off their new album as well as the better known songs
off their earlier records. Most songs were extended well beyond the three to
four minute studio versions, and yet never felt forced. The solos that each of
the band members were afforded were similarly fun but not over-played.
By the end of the show the
famously staid Victoria audience were all on their feet, clapping along (but
only where appropriate – take note of that, American Idol studio audience!)
This concert affirmed that soul
was never dead, and even if it had been, Sharon Jones could have brought it back
to life by sheer force of will.
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