Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Soul of a Woman - New LP

Sharon Jones was 45 years old when she cut her first single with the retro-soul combo the Dap-Kings in 2001. She'd been trying to find a way into the music business for years before her partnership with the Dap-Kings unexpectedly made her a star, but it was obvious that once the right people heard her, they knew she one of the great R&B singers of her generation. Once the door opened for her, she didn't look back for a second. While Jones had beat cancer once, she wasn't as lucky when the disease reappeared in 2015, and through 2016 she played shows and recorded session in between rounds of treatment, with cancer finally claiming her life in November of that year. Some artists, knowing they have only so long to live, use their final recordings to sum up their lives and careers, but that was clearly not the case for Jones. Soul of a Woman, recorded during the last months of her life, is not an album about mortality; instead, this is the work of a woman who was determined to make the most of every moment allotted her. Soul of a Woman is a superb exercise in deep soul big-city style, and if Jones was ailing when she recorded her vocals, you would never guess to listen to the finished product. She's at the top of her game here, with her voice in fine shape and her phrasing and delivery on point, finding the right emotional details in the songs and working beautifully with the musicians, delivering powerful work on every cut. The Dap-Kings stepped up their game on Soul of a Woman as well; even more than on their previous work, the band evokes the sound and feel of another era without sounding mannered or mired in nostalgia, and this is an uncommon meeting between passion and precision. But the Dap-Kings clearly put their music at the service of their lead singer when they made this album, and they made the right choice. From the taut grooves and conscious lyrics of the opening cut, "Matter of Time," to the gospel-infused curtain call "Call on God" (written by Jones), Soul of a Woman is a rich, life-affirming work from an artist who valued her life and her music too much to not make the most of them up to the very end. This isn't just a fitting farewell to Sharon Jones; it's one of the best albums of her career.

released November 17, 2017

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' final studio album, Soul of a Woman is a lush, orchestral masterpiece. A true testament to the life and career of Daptone's fearless leader and one of the world's greatest performers.

The Dap-Kings are:
Joseph Crispiano
Cochemea Gastelum
Binky Griptite
Dave Guy
Bosco Mann
Homer Steinweiss
Neal Sugarman
Fernando “Bugaloo” Velez

Featuring Background vocals by Saun & Starr


1. Matter of Time
Written by Binky Griptite (June Moon Tunes, ASCAP)

2. Sail On!
Written by Cochemea Gastelum (Cochemea Songs, ASCAP)

3. Just Give Me Your Time
Written by Gabriel Roth (Boscosound Music, BMI)

4. Come And Be A Winner
Written by Joseph Crispiano (BMI)

5. Rumors
Written by Fernando Velez (BMI) and Homer Steinweiss (Extraordinaire Music LLC, BMI)

6. Pass Me By
Written by Binky Griptite (June Moon Tunes, ASCAP)

7. Searching For A New Day
Written by Joseph Crispiano (BMI) and Homer Steinweiss ( Extraordinair Music LLC, BMI)

8. These Tears (No Longer For You)
Written by Wayne Gordon (The Persuit of Nothing Music, ASCAP)

9. When I Saw Your Face
Written by David Guy (Xtraordinaire Songs, ASCAP)

10. Girl! (You Got To Forgive Him)
Written by Gabriel Roth (Boscosound Music, BMI)

11. Call On God
Written by Sharon Jones (Boscosound Music, BMI)


Additional Musicians:

Chris Davis
Trumpet in showband, 2nd trumpet on “Sail On!” Piano on “These Tears”

Brian Wolfe
Drummer in showband

Sharon Jones
Piano on “Call On God”

Victor Axelrod
Organ on “Pass Me By”, “Call On God”

Thomas Brenneck
Guitar on “Call On God”

Ian Hendrickson-Smith
2nd Tenor Saxophone on “Sail On!”

And featuring The Universal Church of God Choir on “Call On God”