23 August 2007

the old-school funk soul rhythm and blues revival


I love my Amy Winehouse, but this is where she got her whole shit from.

Motherfuckin' Sharon Jones and them Dap-Kings!

http://www.myspace.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings









Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings Bio

You've got to feel it, is the first thing that comes from the mouth of seasoned soul singer Sharon Jones when asked what makes great music. You've got to feeel it! In your bones, your heart, in everything and everywhere! And if you've ever been to a Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings show, you know you can't but help feel their music. From the rumble and grumble of thick funk jerking you to the dancefloor to the soaring soul guaranteed to make you sigh, one thing is for sure: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings are legitimate heavy-hitters.

Ms. Joness funk pedigree can be traced to her hometown of Augusta, Georgia, the same town that birthed the Godfather of Soul himself: James Brown. And like Mr. Brown and countless soul singers before her, Sharon honed her vocal chops in the church. Once you get moved by the Spirit, you just gotta let it out and share it with the people, Sharon says. And share it she did. Moreover, it didnt take long for the young Sharon to be encouraged to take the spirit from the gospel and apply it to a more secular setting. This setting was realized when as a teenager she moved with her family to Brooklyn, NY and soon found herself saturated with the pulse of funk and disco. Little time passed before she became a staple within the studios, doing often uncredited back-up work for gospel, soul, disco and blues artists. However, when the commercial music landscape began to radically change during the 80's, demand for singers such as Sharon waned, and she soon found herself working at Rykers Island Jail as a corrections officer.

Fast forward to 1996. Still singing for her church, Sharon crosses paths with NYCs great indie-soul & funk label Desco Records. It is a match made in proverbial soul heaven; Sharons hefty voice greased by Desco house-band, the Soul Providers. Several memorable singles are quickly put to wax, thus providing enough soul power to take Ms. Jones and the band across the Atlantic, giving the people a sense of what real music tasted like back in the day, while earning Sharon the title, the Queen of Funk. Sharons first full-length album, 2002's successful Dap Dippin with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings on Brooklyn-based Daptone Records, served to solidify her reputation as Soul Sister #1. And, finally, after several more years of non-stop worldwide touring and recording with other notable artists such as Greyboy, Sharon Jones and her mighty Dap-Kings give you their finest full-length effort to date, Naturally.
As Sharon says, If you can't feel the music on this album, then you must be a dead ass!

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