Customer Reviews

100 Days, 100 Nights

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
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Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings have put together an amazing record. You may know the Dap-Kings for their work with Marc Ronson on his recent "Version" album or as the backing band for Amy Winehouse - both on the recording and on tour. Their influence is so great on Ms. Winehouse's record, that should have been billed as Amy Winehouse and the Dap-Kings.

"100 Days, 100 Nights" is a complete throwback to late 60s and early 70s R&B with no reservations. When I first heard this, I thought it came from that era until my friend said, "No! This comes out next week!" You can definitely hear the Winehouse/Ronson connection (Ronson produced Amy's "Back to Black"). The baritone sax is the signature instrument here and I love it. Sharon Jones sings with such conviction, which luckily is not lost through overproduction like some other recent throwback soul recordings. This is obviously due to the band's insistence of recording on vintage, analog equipment.

This is Sharon and the Kings' 3rd album, so you can grab this one and then pick up their previous 2 efforts. Which you should. Really.

Some years ago Memphis opened shop in Brooklyn NY as Daptone records. The label grew out of the Desco label, a short lived collaboration between Philip Lehman and Gabriel Roth. When they fell out Roth continued the work Desco started at Daptone. Desco (and later Daptone) was dedicated to bringing you that authentic Funk & Soul sound from the sixties. Their first releases came so close to that sound that collectors were tricked into believing that "The Revenge Of Mr Mopoji" was actually a long lost Blaxploitation gem from the seventies. The confusion was fueled by the omission of recording dates and studio information on the records when they were originally released. This was done deliberately as Desco successfully tried to get the collectors interested for the label. Ironically with Desco's demise those first records would eventually become just as collectible a the genuine product from that era.

Daptone went on to operate as a genuine Soul studio complete with a house band, the Dap-Kings. As a band they were so successful in recreating the sounds of the late sixties and early seventies that I even hesitate to call them a retro act. The Dap-Kings weren't inspired by music from that era, they were an exact carbon copy. Some of the hooks on the records Daptone issued came awful close to familiar grooves from the JB's or Booker T & the MGs. With that authentic Soul sound Daptone placed itself so far from the mainstream market that it hardly got any sales in their first few years. The artists on the roster, most notably Daptone flagship Sharon Jones, survived by the live reputation they soon gained as a live act. Because of the Punk sensibility Daptone had in their way of doing business, the label gained a strong following in the Punk and Garage scenes. Daptone was very much a do it yourself record label, printing on a small scale, barely scraping by. A way of operating the Punk/Garage scene with their numerous little labels could relate to. Daptone also shared that borderline false nostalgic need to recreate the sounds of the sixties and the seventies with the Garage scene. Daptones obsession with making genuine JB Funk parallels the way obscure acts like the Swinging Medallions are treated as the holy grail in the Garage scene. By releasing the anti-Iraq war statement "What If We all Stopped Paying Taxes", performed by Sharon Jones, Daptone tapped into the political sensibilities of the Punk & Garage scene as well.



2003 marked a transition for Daptone as they opened their very own Daptone Recording Studio. Recording completely in style, analog on a sixteen track, Daptone & the Dap-Kings started to get noticed. Artists looking for the more genuine raw Soul sound that the Nu-Soul movement failed to provide turned to the Brooklyn based studio. Most notably Amy Winehouse (was their ever a R&R drunk more aptly named) who used the band on her 2006 smash "Back to Black". The most redeeming quality of her hit single "Rehab", that Motownesque sound that shot the record straight to the top, is courtesy of the Dap-Kings. Unfortunately wino Winehouse went running with all the credit in most of the press. The Dap-Kings went largely unnoticed in the crowd. But it solidified their reputation as a classic house band and once again proved you need an actual band to get that Soulful sound to your records.

Daptone uses what little push they got from those wino sessions to get some extra spotlight for Sharon Jones' new record, "100 Days and 100 Nights". Sharon Jones' latest outing knocks wino Winehouse's record straight out of the ring. Sharon Jones is the genuine product. Born and raised in James Brown's home Augusta Georgia, whipped into shape for the trade in church, Sharon Jones is the true grits and gravy. Had she been around in the sixties she would've been mean competition to Aretha Franklin and Irma Thomas. Live she preaches up a storm, leaving you sweaty and exhilarated, not sure what you've just witnessed. On wax she's the real deal. Even though her sound redefines retro, Jones steers clear of being a nostalgia act. She simply sounds to raw and gritty to become just that. Behind her the Dap-Kings strut like the Meters, they dog like Rufus Thomas, hip hug like Booker T & the MGs and give you more like the JBs. But, unlike earlier releases on Daptone and Desco, "100 Days and 100 Night" never becomes to familiar. It almost sounds like the Dap-Kings have learned from their wino Whinehouse collaboration how to bring that nitty gritty Soul sound into the new century. We can only hope Sharon Jones hits big enough for Daptone to grow out in a new little label that could......

It's real sad that it took an overrated faker like Amy Winehouse to use Sharon Jones' backing band in order to make people recognize her, but still it's great that she's finally getting the attention she deserves. At 50 years of age, Sharon Jones is the sound of classic soul and funk. She's not trying to churn out some throwback junk. This is the real thing. And the same goes for her band, The Dapkings and pretty much anything on Daptone Records is good. I personally would have liked this album to be a bit funkier, but overall, there are no skips so you really can't complain. Buy this album, then check her out live to be really blown away.

And Sharon Jones is no retread, either. Okay, she sounds a lot like the Old School I grew up with, but she's got an edge and power of her own.

"100 Days, 100 Nights" is a great opening anthem about how long it takes to learn a man's heart with a POW ending that'll leave your jaw dropped.

"When the Other Foot Drops" is about payback time when that person who's been taking advantage of others has to pay up--and do they ever! "You better pack up and run" is Sharon's advice and considering what the person's got to run from, that's not such a bad idea.

"Answer me" is a gorgeous gospel song about hard times with strong horns backing.

There's really not a bad song on this CD. It's solid, soulful, and well worth the money if you love R&B of any school.

This is original soul music performed by musicians playing real instruments and a woman who can really sing. Get this album!

I absolutely love how authentic this album is. Everything is kept organic and real. The style of the art direction (the fonts, photography) will have you thinking you've picked up something that was released circa 1963 - what a GREAT touch! The latest music video for the title track takes it there even further (go check it out on YouTube and see what I mean). As terrific as the album is, the real stunner for me is the bonus disc that is included. The "WDAP Binky Griptite [what a name!] GhettoFunkPowerHour" sampler is mind blowing in it's power to evoke that time long ago. Everything about it, from the vocal effects of the "host", to the all the various songs (which are incredible) sampled from the Daptone Records catalog will amaze you. It is truly like stepping back in time. Amazing! One of the year's best - no question.

I first heard about Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings on NPR and CNN. I was surprised to hear that they were Amy Winehouse's touring band; in retrospect, I should have ditched the Winehouse CD and bought 100 Days, 100 Nights since Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings are the enduring soul stars on the scene. Sharon's story is a rags-to-riches tale of a former corrections officer who gave up her goal of a solo career because she was told she was "too black" or "too fat" to succeed.

This is soul the way it used to sound: gutteral, saucy, and sassy, at times a hair's breadth away from gospel, spiced with Muscle Shoals-style horns and tambourine beats that bring to mind the Funk Brothers. This sounds like it could be right out of the '70s heyday, and the band uses analog recording equipment for a more authentic sound.

The ten songs start out with a bang on 100 Days 100 Nights, starting with Sharon musing on love with a hoarse, urgent delivery that slows down to a slow burn as a Hammond organ underscores the drama and a gospelish choir sings the title lyrics behind Sharon. Nobody's Baby is a self-empowerment ode to women that flirts with funk and brims with "don't mess with me" attitude. Tell Me sounds straight out of the Funk Brothers catalog, with staccato tamborine, bongos, and crisp snare smoothed with vibe, and Sharon's sassy search for love. When the Other Foot Drops, Uncle is a soundalike for a long-lost Al Green gem. The rest of the tracks are each distinct and at once familiarly comforting, closing with the gospel blockbuster Answer Me.

Run, don't walk, to buy this if you're a fan of '70s soul. Amazing performances and authentically retro sound make this a must-have.

If you are looking for old school R&B, this artist and the entire (short) catalog for this record label are the places to start. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings 100 Days, 100 Nights is funky, cool and just plain old down with the music.

I really hate all this retro this and throwback that.
THIS IS SOUL MUSIC, R and goddamned B !!!
RnB is not some idiot note bending over computer generated beeps and thuds. I dont care what MTV calls it.
Buy this today, and something tells me your Beyonce, Usher and Justine Timberlake
CD's will be in the trash tomorrow.

Well, if you aren't into old school R&B/soul, then you probably won't dig it. If you at all find sizzling horns, funky bass lines, and female vocalists with voices from God at all listenable, then you will love this CD. For a point of reference--Amy Winehouse used the Dap Kings as backup for most of her debut (Back to Black). Take that band, better songs, and a stronger vocalist with soul to spare, and you get Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. I don't have their first two CDs, but they're on my wish list.