New album: Give The People What They Want
Artist: Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Label: Daptone Records
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Do you ever find yourself listening to something from the golden age of Stax or Motown and think, "wow, they don't make 'em like that anymore"?
Until the advent of Daptone Records in 2002, you would have been correct in that assumption. Label head and Dap Kings bassist Gabriel Roth (aka Bosco Mann) knows how to write, record and mix music that sounds as if it was recorded in the golden age of 1960s/early 1970s soul. An early Sharon Jones single that was issued on vinyl was so authentic sounding, collectors thought it was a long lost r&b gem. Thinking there were only a few copies in existence, the hipsters bought the records like crazy, even though Daptone was still pressing them as fast as they were being sold.
While their approach (and recording equipment) doesn't look past 1970, the sound Roth has created is fresh. In fact, the Amy Winehouse album "Back To Black" was recorded with The Dap Kings at Roth's studio. Apparently there is an appetite for authentic R&B/soul music recorded on analog tape, free of the digital trickery that has all but strangled genuine expression.
As brilliant as the Dap Kings are, vocalist Sharon Jones ups the ante. Her churning, relentless vocals put her in a class with Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner. Jones is equally adept at funk ("Long Time, Wrong Time", "Stranger To My Happiness") and soul ("Retreat!", "Now I See"), and the Dap Kings' playing is spirited and joyful throughout.
There's not as much hard funk on "Give The People What They Want" as on previous records, but there is a definite increase in the amount of Motown dust spread over the proceedings. If you played "Breaking Up and Making Up" for Diana Ross, she'd probably think it was a long-lost Supremes track. How Mann was able to resurrect that vintage soul sound and create fresh, commercially viable music with it is a small miracle.
"Give The People What They Want" is another jewel in the Sharon Jones/Dap Kings catalog, and it's just as good a point of entry into their cool little world as any.
Classic album: His Band And The Street Choir
Artist: Van Morrison
Label: Warner Bros.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
After creating blistering blues/r&b with Them and launching a solo career that produced the landmark albums "Astral Weeks" and "Moondance", Van The Man checked in with "His Band And Street Choir" near the end of 1970.
It would have been tough for Morrison to follow up two of the greatest pop records of all-time with a third one, but "His Band..." is a really good if not monumental album. It boasts a fantastic opening track in "Domino", which sounds as if it could have been recorded during the "Moondance" sessions. "Domino" hasn't been beaten into the ground by oldies radio as severely as "Brown Eyed Girl", but it's taken quite a pummeling.
The downright funky "I've Been Working" veers into Sly Stone territory, and it's great to hear Morrison vamp with saxophonist Jack Schroer. "Domino" was the big radio hit, but the humorous "Blue Money" and the somewhat tepid "Call Me Up In Dreamland" also received radio play. The gentle "I'll Be Your Lover, Too" was a multi-decade precursor to Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately", with an intimate vocal and more superb playing by Schroer.
It's unfair to expect Morrison to churn out an "Astral Weeks" or "Moondance" every time he steps up to the plate, but "His Band And The Street Choir" did like an attempt to lower everyone's expectations. The album has a breezy feel that creates an enjoyable listening experience but doesn't necessarily leave the listener with the feeling that he or she just heard something really special.
Van Morrison would go on to spend the next 40+ years crafting near masterpieces - along with a few head-scratchers along the way. In the grand scheme of things, "His Band And Street Choir" is more of a snapshot of where he was at the time than a monumental work that could be deemed timeless.
Jon Dawson's album reviews appear every Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or jon.dawson@kinston.com. Purchase Jon's new book "Counterfeit Sauerkraut & The Weekend Teeth" at the Free Press office and jondawson.com.