The last couple of years have brought a good deal of attention to the Dap Kings, the Brooklyn, NY, based retro soul band. Over the last decade or so, this group has been able to succesfully capture the energy, the groove, and the sound of funk and soul music of the late 60s - early 70s, and the albums they work on completely sound like they were done in that era (They even have a label, Daptone Records, which does a hell of a job preserving this sound.) Their frighteningly accurate retro soul sound caught the attention of New York producer/DJ Mark Ronson, who was looking for this exact flavor when working on Amy Winehouse’s 2006 break-out album “Back to Black”. They even went on tour as Winehouse’s back up band to support that album. I saw the Dap Kings backing up Amy Winehouse at Coachella this year, and as much hype as Winehouse gets, I was paying more attention to how the Dap Kings made those vintage grooves and beats seem so completely fresh. And as thrilled as I am to see quality musicianship such as theirs reach mainstream success, I’m even more thrilled to report that they have collaborated once again with their original Queen Bee, Sharon Jones, for a fantastic third album, “100 Days, 100 Nights”.

As good as the Dap Kings make anyone sound, no one sounds as comfortable or as confident in leading the pack as Jones. Her voice carries the wisdom of Nina Simone and the swagger of Dinah Washington. And with a powerful tone similar to Aretha, she is definitely a force to be reckoned with. There’s also a very gritty quality to her presence, and maybe that has to do with the fact that she used to work as a prison guard at Sing Sing. Or maybe it has to do with the fact that she was born in Augusta, GA, a city that also gave the world James Brown. All I know is that when she belts out a tune, she’s got soul to spare, and she wants to share it with anybody who’ll listen. She is not new to the scene by any means, doing back up singing and session work during the early 70s. But during that time, she was unable to secure a solo deal, and so the singing career went to the wayside. Jones didn’t even begin to collaborate with the members of the Dap Kings until the late 90s, when retro soul was mainly being eaten up by vinyl collectors and crate digging DJs. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings’ first two albums, for the most part, went unnoticed outside of the funk/soul community, but maybe the third one will give Jones the recognition that is completely past due.

So here we are, in 2007, with the release of “100 Days and 100 Nights”, an album that completely sounds like it was done in the late 60s, even down to how the songs were mixed. In terms of groove, this album is definitely more Motown than Stax, but there’s a certain finesse that has been added which really is a testament to the passion and the craft that Jones and the Dap Kings have put into this work. The whole record is a no nonsense funk/soul workout, barely breaking the half hour mark in running time. But when you purchase the album, it also comes with an excellent “Ghetto Funk Power Hour” CD sampler of other Daptone artists as well as tracks from Jones’ previous efforts The CD even comes with a great behind the scenes studio video of the making of “Answer Me”, which is one of the strongest tracks that Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings have ever done. Below I’ve included an mp3 of “Answer Me”, which is also the closing track, and if this doesn’t bring a smile to your face, nothing will… I guarantee it. And below “Answer Me” is the video for “100 Days, 100 Nights”, shot completely with vintage gear. These guys definitely don’t mess around…

Answer Me

Buy Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings’ 100 Days, 100 Nights at Amazon.com

100 Days, 100 Nights