Old Soul...... Done New.....Done Right

Soul aint dead...it just smells funny.
-Frank Zappa(modified)




If you've been jonesing for some old soul, and i mean Stax-style old school, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings is the band for you. With a sound that is so crisp, it would send potato chips running for their money, Jones and her band of merry gentleman give us a style of soul that hasn't been heard in a while. The band manages to pull of a retro vibe without sounding dated, which is a noteworthy accomplishment. Jones's voice is everything you want in a soul singer--raspy and smooth in all the right places, which makes humming along to her songs easy and enjoyable.

The real treat here is the band. The rhythm section of the band plays so perfectly that, often times, you dont even notice that they are there. The groove is so perfect it seems impossible for them to falter, giving the listener the impression that if they were to actually flex their musical muscles, we would all be in for a serious treat. But they are too classy and professional to throw in a drum, guitar, or bass fill every 4 bars...they keep us wanting more and that is something we will have to deal with. The Horn section is equally gifted--hitting notes so sharp that they almost make you forget that there is a singer. They blast with surgeonlike precision and lumberjack like power which makes you wonder what it would be like to write with a pen that used lightning instead of ink.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB69Ij5X6AE

"Tell Me" from the album "100 Days, 100 nights"(Daptone records), comes off a very nowtro song. It has old school soul with an updated sharpness that can not be defined with words except to say that, while listening to the song, the band you picture will be wearing suits and skinny ties. The Dap Kings, when they play live, wear suits and skinny ties, while Jones is usually attired in an elegant dress. Seeing the Dap kings live is the total package--Jones' cheery persona and brilliant vocals, the rhythm sections unbelievable groove, and the extreme soul and precision of the horns.....all dressed up. Its nice to see a band that wants to impress you.

If there were ever any concerns that Old Soul was a dying genre, Jones and the Kings put those fears to rest. The brandish their musical torches and go to battle in an increasingly soulless world. What they do may not be groundbreaking but gosh darn it, they do it well.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0iGhFwZx6c