Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – Soul Of A Woman (Daptone)

Sadly, Sharon Jones passed on to the great stage in the sky after a protracted battle with pancreatic cancer.  But before going she managed to record one final album with her exceptionally talented band the Dap-Kings.  These guys have stood by her since day one.  In the documentary, Miss Sharon Jones, you can see her doting on them like a mother hen.  It was a real family relationship without doubt.

While this is her final legacy, you’d never know.  On vinyl – and that is the best way to enjoy this old school soul phenomenon – Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are electric!  The energy and vibrancy is still as strong as her first recording 100 Days and 100 Nights, the one that first got her noticed not only as a fantastic voice but also as an act out of time.  Her ‘brand’ was 60’s and 70’s Motown Soul backed by a big brassy sound and smatterings of Diana Ross, The Supremes, James Brown, Percy Sledge, Curtis Mayfield and the like.

The ‘feel’ of the album is live, like it was made in a sweaty gym down a back street in Brooklyn.  Close actually, being recorded straight to 8-track at the Daptone’s House of Soul studio in Bushwick, N.Y.  In the movie you can see her recording between treatments.  Sessions to the clinic don’t stop her from belting it out or taking bassist and producer Bosco Mann to task.  “When she was strongest, that’s when we’d go into the studio,” he said in a statement. “Sharon couldn’t phone it in, so we would only work when she was really feeling it.”

The album kicks off with a tune that was probably left off her previous release Give the People What They Want (2014).  Matter Of Time makes a statement with plenty of energy, horns, Rhodes and soulful harmonies.  “This song is about Love,” she sings, fully confident and powerful.  It’s hard to imagine this woman has just done a 5-hour treatment session.  Her message, as always, is positive.  The lyrics are generic but if you place them in the recent political environment as relevant now as ever.  It sounds old but is new.  Also check out the video, which features Sharon’s label mate, Charles Bradley, who we also sadly lost last year.

Sail On is a nicely ironic reply to an old relationship.  “I was in need and you told me to sail on.  Now you need my help.”  Again, a universal theme, as all the songs are.  Musically, you could easily find this one on the b-side of anyone recording in the 70’s – from Stevie Wonder to Diana Ross.  You get that on slower tracks like Give Me Your Time, a heartfelt ballad and the more upbeat Rumors.

Not all is perfect.  Come On, Be A Winner must surely have been recorded as a bit of a joke.  Cheesy funky guitars, overly lush strings and corny lines it felt like bad 70’s disco.  I could definitely see this one being used during a ballroom scene on an episode of the Love Boat -complete with Julie and Isaac singing backing vocals.

The rest of the album is raw and funky.  Pass Me By, Searching for a New Day and These Tears (No Longer for You) all show case Sharon’s vocal variety.  And yes she still has it.  It’s like a part of her that’s unaffected, no matter what.  Some artists lose their strength to belt them out but not in Sharon’s case.  Fittingly she finishes with a very gospel tune, Call On God, which, as you’d expect, employs the full cannon of voice and orchestra.  But far from mourning it’s yet another joyful and uplifting tune.

The songs on this album are all strong but I wouldn’t say outstanding.  Only live would they really come to life because you get the feeling that it’s live that they would work best.

Sharon is gone, and it is our greatest loss that we’ll never get to see her perform this album live.  But at least we have it – and it will sit alongside her others as a testament to making the most of the time you have and what you do with it.  Rest in Peace, Sharon Jones.

Tim Gruar