Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings: The Royalty of Soul

By Janette Madden
Contributing Writer

For those that don’t know it yet, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings are coming to the Fargo Theatre Wednesday, May 18. Did you get that? SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS ARE COMING TO THE FARGO THEATRE WEDNESDAY, MAY 18. Now you don’t have any excuse for missing what will be Fargo’s premier show of 2011.

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings have come a long way since their humble beginnings nearly a decade ago. With gilded and gritty sounds of gospel, soul, and funk, this nine-piece act continues to electrify fans, disc jockeys, critics, and record collectors the world over. Their devotion to soul music is clearly demonstrated on the band’s four critically acclaimed albums Dap Dippin (2002), Naturally (2005), 100 Days, 100 Nights (2007), and their newest release I Learned the Hard Way (2010), all captured and released by the independent Daptone Records, in Brooklyn, NY. Their albums recall an analog era led by iconic studios like that at Motown and have given a new generation of listeners a fresh generation of soul music to cut their chops on.

Jones, who turned 55 this month, takes great pleasure in reminding people that her sound is not retro. “I’m a soul singer. I mean, I’ll be fifty-five years old May 4 and I’m not retro, I’m not a young kid trying to sound old!” And what a soul singer she is. First, there’s the title track of “I Learned The Hard Way”, in whose video Jones oozes Pam Grier sexiness. Second, also off “I Learned The Hard Way” is ‘Better Things’, a sunny upbeat song whose opening is reminiscent of Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’. Finally, the single ‘How Long’ is so damn good with awesome beats and vocals that it makes you want to get up and dance.

As Jones says, she’s “the real thing…and once you see us enjoying what we do and when people come they love what we’re doing, they’re reading about us and we’re all in good spirits, and we’ll show them what we got.” And one of the things that Jones likes to show is her fantastic style. She doesn’t perform wearing just any old thing. She’s classy, with beautiful dresses to prove it, and she likes to show off her matching high heels. She works it on the stage and she and the Dap Kings are world famous for their live shows

The Dap Kings became better known after backing up Amy Winehouse on much of “Back To Black” while Ms. Jones gained the spotlight after recording the duet ‘Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes)’ with Michael Bublé on his album “Crazy”. “Thank God I did that thing with Michael Bublé on the Crazy Love album,” Jones said. “It allowed me to buy a home for my mama.” Jones says the same about Amy Winehouse. “I can go back and say thank God for Amy Winehouse. Amy, she has admitted she listened to us and that’s what got her excited about singing a soul CD, you know what I mean? She has a soulful voice but that’s what got her, and it’s a little bit crazy!”

But Jones is not so complimentary when she talks about Kanye West and Rhymefest. “I’m not against anything, you know, but instead of people trying to rip something off and go on, like Kanye took from my brand new song because he thought it was done back in the ‘60s. It’s a brand new thing!” she said, referring to the limited edition 45 single ‘Pick It Up, Lay It In The Cut’ recorded by Jones and the Dap Kings in 2002. Ryhmefest and West sampled the track and used its beats for the 2006 song ‘Brand New’. Rumor has it that not only did West think it was old because of its sound, but also because of its look. Many people who bought the early records were unsure that they were modern recordings, as recording dates were deliberately omitted from the labels and looked as if they were released in the ‘70s.

Jones and the Dap Kings don’t have a lot of videos out, but those that they do have are done in the distinct late ‘60s early ‘70s style of blaxploitation films, sometimes mixed with footage filmed in black and white, looking like appearances on early variety shows.They’re creative, to say the least. The videos pay homage to that same funk and soul sound that their music does. Add to that their album art and once again, its easy to understand why Jones and the Dap Kings are credited with being the foremother and fathers of the funk and soul revivalist movements.

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears are opening for Jones and the Dap Kings. DID YOU HEAR THAT? Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, known for gritty, raunchy and real music that’s not for the squeamish, but experiencing it fully can be genuinely cathartic. You’ve been warned. Miss this show at your own risk and if you do, be prepared to listen to people talk about it for days afterward while you constantly ask yourself why you didn’t go when you had the chance.

Catch the video for ‘If You Call’ (Part One) here: http://qr.net/b04z and for ‘I Learned The Hard Way’ (Part Two) here: http://qr.net/b046

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What/Who:  Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings with Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
When: Wednesday, May 18th at 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Fargo Theatre
Ticket Price: $25 - $35 online at: http://bit.ly/iJFVwd