SHARON JONES + THE DAP KINGS: LIVE IN NYC

Guest post by Lindsay Sanchez

Hard Candy is no stranger to dance music. The blog exists because the artists and the audience want to get down. In these last few months I have been swept up in the electro-dance scene, but the other night was a reminder, a reawakening. I remembered the FUNK.

SHARON JONES AND THE DAP KINGS amplified the bass lines, the horn pops, the funky drummer and delivered with good ol-fashioned soul music- The kind of soul that gets you to sway, to jive, and to jerk without even knowing.

The petite Ms. Sharon Jones may be 53 years old, but by the way she tore up the stage at the Tarrytown Music Hall in New York on December 2 – it’s obvious she can out perform most, if not all, the pop princesses soaking up the industry limelight. Hailing from Augustus, Georgia, also the home of James Brown, there is no doubt that Jones was brought up with music in her blood. However, this woman was not an overnight success. She worked the day jobs, the wedding circuit, and the anonymous backing-vocals on several dance records. She was even in a prison guard at Rikers Island. Finally in 2001, after already a lifetime of struggling to find some stability in the music industry, she hooked up with a band that allowed her to do what she does best. There is a fire inside that woman, which was ignited by the tightest band I have heard in a while, The Dap Kings.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, tour relentless to build up their reputation and make people realize who the new queen of soul is. When the Kings were given the opportunity to back the up and coming Amy Winehouse, they did it as a smart business move. However, in an Interview with Spinner, the bandleader and bassist Bosco “Bass” Mann said, “Playing with Amy is cool, but playing with Sharon is an experience. There is a lot spontaneous stuff going on with Sharon. You never know where she is going to go with a tune, so the band has to be right with her all the time. That is what makes a Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings show one of the greatest touring bands out there.”

Mann isn’t boasting, he’s telling the honest truth. It’s no easy feat arranging and performing with 8 different musical personalities. But Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings bring the fun and the funk with soul-shaking style.