Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – I Learned The Hard Way

Sharon Jones and her resplendent Dap-Kings have smoothed things out on their lush new record, I Learned The Hard Way, toning down the riotous funk of their early records in favor of a more soulful, Stax-style sound that better suits their considerable strengths. At once more personal and stylish than their decidedly retro initial offerings, Hard Way still resonates with the spirit and passion of Motown, South Philadelphia and Muscle Shoals, Alabama, just with a thoroughly modern twist on a genre that will always beguile and enliven listeners that unconditionally give up their hearts and their hips to this ardent music. Jones, of course, leads the way with her velvety, on-point vocals, taking the reigns of this accomplished, highly-charged group (led by bassist, and Daptones Records founder, Gabriel ‘Bosco Mann’ Roth, who handles the production on this record, as he does with most of the label’s releases) and guiding them directly into the heart of these emotional numbers. The album was recorded on an Ampex eight-track tape, giving these songs a warm, venerable quality that only enhances their vintage nature and depth of feeling.

Capitalizing on their recent rise in prominence (due to their supporting Amy Winehouse on Back In Black and her subsequent tour), the Dap-Kings sound supremely confident and cool throughout the record, deftly giving way when Jones is in full voice, while also taking command when the song demands it, giving these tracks a pulse and rhythm that makes it ultimately impossible to sit still while listening. These songs swing with a bold sophistication earned from decades spent in the game (Jones has been singing since the 70′s), displaying more authenticity and charm here than any of the young batch of British starlets who have tried in vain to replicate the soulful sound that comes so naturally for Jones and the Dap-Kings. Opener ‘The Game Gets Old’ has an expressive urgency to it reminiscent of the O’Jays slow-jams, while the title track bounces with a fervent acuity gleaned from years of mistreatment.

These songs are all imbued with Jones’ hard-earned wisdom and her ability to see through the games men often play, and there’s nothing artificial in either her emphatic delivery or her tired realization that she’s wasted her time with a man who turned out to be just as bad as the others. This unshakable sentiment permeates both ‘Better Things To Do,’ a resolute kiss-off over a horn-laden, velvety groove that proves to be one of the album’s many highlights, and ‘Give It Back,’ a Supremes-sounding ultimatum for a man that can’t quite make up his mind. The timely and all-too-relevant ‘Money’ continues the strong start to the album, and hopefully the success of Hard Way will prevent Jones and the Dap-Kings from ever having to worry about their finances again.

The laid-back instrumental ‘The Reason’ forms a seamless transition to the second half of the album, which again is overflowing with soulful, stirring hits. Under less seasoned hands, ‘Window Shopping’ might come off as silly and misguided, but Jones injects the song with a vehemence that more than makes up for the somewhat simple metaphors layered throughout the lyrics. The band really gets things cooking on ‘She Ain’t A Child No More,’ a rollicking stomp whose dark lyrics about child abuse are offset by an absolutely electric arrangement that finds the Dap-Kings really strutting their stuff over Jones’ words of warning. It’s a clear standout on the stellar second side of the record, and things keep chugging right along on the bluesy ‘I’ll Still Be True,’ and the doo-wop swing of ‘Without A Heart.’ The stripped-down but no-less grand closer ‘Mama Don’t Like My Man’ echoes the smooth emotion of Sam Cooke, and winds down the festive record in a moving, tranquil manner. I Learned The Hard Way finds Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings in supremely confident form, and hopefully this album will bring this fiery, passionate Brooklyn group the universal attention they so rightfully deserve. Until then, the ones in the know will be dancing right along to grooves that are impossible to resist with Sharon as our dynamic, modern-day monarch of soul.