Jones, Sharon & the Dap-Kings – Dap-Dippin' With... – New CD

Killer debut.  You can either start at the end and work your way back, or start with this and work your way through her catalog.  Either way will work just fine.

AllMusic Review by Steve Huey 

It's hard to believe that Sharon Jones' debut LP is a product of the year 2002, for several reasons. Given the excellent singles she recorded for Desco beginning in the late '90s, it seems like she would have gotten the opportunity for a full-length sooner; plus, her brand of raw, heavy, hard-driving funk is such a throwback to the '70s, and she pulls it off so well, that you wonder how she could have escaped that decade without at least a few rare, classic 45s (in the vein of labelmate Lee Fields). It's not hard to believe she once made her living as a prison guard, based on the tough-as-nails, no-nonsense performances she belts out on Dap Dippin' With Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, the first full-length release on Desco's descendant, Dap-Tone. Backed by the Dap-Tone house band (a conglomeration of studio pros with connections reaching back to the Desco orbit), Jones delivers a storming set of tunes that would have sounded perfectly at home on the James Brown's Original Funky Divas compilation. The style and quality are pretty consistent all the way through, but it's hard not to single out the nearly unrecognizable cover of Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done for Me Lately," which is transformed into a churning blast of funk full of biting guitars (and nary a synth or drum machine in sight). Other highlights include the chunky leadoff track, "Got a Thing on My Mind," the would-be dance-craze "The Dap Dip," the slow-burning "Make It Good to Me," and the trials-and-tribulations tale "Ain't It Hard." Plus, label head Gabriel Roth throws in his usual "authentic" trappings -- the fake live introduction running down Jones' "hits," the intentionally dated copy on the back cover -- that make the whole package even more fun. All in all, a terrific debut.

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This is the one that started it all, Folks! The debut Long Player for SJDK and Daptone Records. DIG on Funky classics like 'Got a Thing on My Mind', 'Got to be the Way iIt Is', and 'Pick it up Lay it in the Cut'. Oh, and if you're a fan of Funky covers - this album also boasts the Looooooooooooong out of print single - Janet Jackson's 'What Have You Done for me Lately'. All KILLER no FILLER! A Funk classic in the truest sense.

Steeped in the gilded and gritty sounds of gospel, soul, and funk, the nine-piece act continues to electrify fans, disc jockeys, critics, record collectors, and journalists the world over with their heart-felt sound. Their devotion to soul music is clearly demonstrated on the band’s critically acclaimed albums. In addition to …Hard Way, the band has released Soul Time! (2011), a compilation of rare and previously unreleased tracks, 100 Days 100 Nights (2008), Naturally (2005) and Dap Dippin’ (2002) all on Daptone Records. Their albums recall an analog era of iconic studios like those at Motown and Stax Records and have thrust Jones and the Dap-Kings into the multimedia limelight.