Sharon Jones is a powerhouse of vocal abilities, and her voice booms with conviction, strength, and soul. Hearing her sing makes you want to dance, and when you throw in the phenomenal sound of the Dap Kings, you've no choice but to get up off of that thing. The Dap Kings are all-stars of big band funk, worth every penny of the door charge in their own right. The eight piece group features two saxophones, a trumpet, hand drums, a drum kit, two guitars, bass, and eight sharp looking gentlemen in suits. The 51 year old soulsterss, wearing a black dress with crazy fringes that she proclaimed she wore at the beginning of the tour at the Apollo, also looked quite dapper.
Buzz has been building around this band for some time, helped by the fact that English beehived diva Amy Winehouse borrowed the Dap Kings for her second record and tour. Acting as house band for the 2007 MTV Video Awards and ESPN's Espy Awards show certainly didn't hurt their popularity either, but it was on our own fantastic radio station The Current that I first came across the mighty funk of the Dap Kings. The wildly funky "How Long Do I Have to Wait for You?" had me grooving like this dude and in a mad dash to pick up some of their retro and/or neosoul music.
I've been rockin out to that song ever since.
The tv screens at First Ave displayed the band in black and white, giving even more of an old school soul feel to the performance. The whole vibe of the show was classy. Original yet classic. First Ave was among the most packed I have ever seen it, and the diverse crowd loved every moment of the high energy show.
At one point, with Ms. Jones taking a breather offstage, the bandleader/MC of the show invited some members of the audience to hop onstage and dance with the Dap Kings. A couple dozen or so young ladies were happy to oblige, and the stage quickly filled up with dancin fools. When Sharon returned, she too joined in and danced with frenzied audience members.
One of the highlights of the show was a smooth cover of James Brown's "It's a Man's World", with Sharon's sultry voice knocking that song out of the park. Like The Godfather of Soul himself, Sharon hails from Augusta, Georgia, and has aquired herself an impressive and deserved title, "The Queen of Funk". Jones got her start singing in church, like J.B., and may have the fastest feet of anyone in the business today. Jones also worked as a prison guard at Riker's Island and an armored car guard. What a tough lady she must be.
Another highlight was the cover of "This Land is Your Land" by Woodie Guthrie. Again, Jones' vocals were dynamite.
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