Soul shakedown party
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Queen and the Kings: Soul singer extraordinaire Sharon Jones and her powerhouse nine-piece band, the Dap-Kings, strut their stuff at the Higher Ground Ballroom on Friday, Nov. 20. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
Toolbox
By TOM HUNTINGTON Arts Correspondent - Published: November 13, 2009
Fresh off her recent performance with Phish at the Phab Four’s Festival 8 in California, soul singer extraordinaire Sharon Jones and her powerhouse nine-piece band, the Dap-Kings, strut their stuff at the Higher Ground Ballroom on Friday, Nov. 20.
The group is stepping up to the Ballroom after rocking the Showcase Lounge in 2005 and 2007.
Although the band hasn’t released an album since its excellent 2007 set, “100 Days 100 Nights,” previously unreleased material will be included in a new compilation disc by Daptone Records, the band’s Brooklyn-based label. Scheduled for release on Nov. 24, “Daptone Gold” – “a collection of hits and obscurities, album favorites and unheard exclusives from the Daptone Records catalog,” according to the label – also includes other material from the Kings in addition to choice cuts by label mates like the Budos Band and Lee Fields, among others.
The independent retro-soul record label, formed in 2001, has developed a rock-solid rep as the go-to group for artists – like Amy Winehouse, for example – looking to capture an authentic, 1960s-era soul sound. Jones and the Dap-Kings, who joined forces in 2005 and remain Daptone’s flagship band, deliver a winsome sound that is sure to satisfy fans of old-school soul and funk.
Starting out as “an impressive but derivative re-creation of the James Brown revue,” according to The Los Angeles Times, the steadfast band – known for its impressive, high-energy live shows — has slowly but surely developed its own signature style that’s still firmly rooted in old-school soul and R&B.”
“Years of club gigs have honed the eight-piece Dap-Kings technique, and in its recordings the group meticulously recreates the sound of ‘60s-era James Brown and Stax Records,” said The New York Times. “In precisely orchestrated yet fiery live shows, Ms. Jones invites fans half her age to dance with her onstage, and she outlasts every one of them.”