I believe at this point everyone is well aware of my affinity for R&B, Soul, and the Blues. Well, Sharon Jones is my new fav. This whole album is ridiculous, I fell in love right away. She has an incredible voice filled with passion and gut wrenching moans for days, the timing is sublime and on time, like the weather channel people, and cool as a polar bear's nose bro. There isn't one bad song on the album, favorite's are "Nobody's Baby", "100 Days 100 Nights", "Tell Me", "Let Them Knock", and "Something Changed". I first heard Ms. Jones due to Mercy's review of sweet bands and one liners, but was reminded when I was updating my Sam Cooke collection. I feel like maybe Sharon was in the original Blues Brother Movie, and was somehow lost in the editors room. I am thinking that her and Jake shared a scene in prison, you know in the beginning, where she is a guard*, and she breaks out into the song "When the Other Foot Drops, Uncle" after finding out that Jake cheated her in a game of pinochle for smokes. Anyway, class and style for miles, if you're a fan of old school rock, R&B, or Soul check it out, you won't be disappointed, I promise.
*Wouldn't be acting for Sharon as she actually worked as a prison guard at Riker's while recording, no shit.
Unlike the artists off Daptone Records, Eli "Paperboy" Reed sings straight up 60's, pre-funk soul. The backing band is solid - I love the horn section - but its the vocals that make it worth your time. He has a nice gritty voice - emotive and passionate enough to recall heyday STAX or Atlantic Records. It's clear he's done his homework. The music successfully captures that authentic/retro sound and the songs are consistently good to great. The lyrics keep it simple, focused on love, relationships, boasts, and dances. "Stake Your Claim" kicks off the album with plenty of Solomon Burke-like attitude and well-timed horn bursts. "I'm Gonna Getcha" reminds me a bit of Joe Tex's preacher style rap. On "(Doin' The) Boom Boom" he let's out his best Wilson Pickett scream. If you dig the retro soul sound, you have to check out this album.