Queen of Soul, Kings of Funk

There is a new Queen of Soul. Sorry Mary, Alicia, and Jill, but there is a woman from Brooklyn who's reminding us all of how it's done. Her name is Sharon Jones, and she and her backing band, the Dap-Kings, will slay your ears and make you yearn for a time when people sang (and didn't sample), "Diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin' the scene with a gangsta lean."

Jones brings the soul while the Dap-Kings bring the funk, and the marriage of the two is nothing short of a freakfest for your ears. Born in Augusta, Georgia, like the Godfather James Brown, Jones found her voice in the church, and later perfected that voice in Brooklyn through various studio sessions and as a back-up singer for other musicians. 2001 brought the band's debut with Dap Dippin'. Personally, I can vouch for the killingness of 2005's Naturally. I think I died of happiness and came back to life three times over the first time I Iistened to that album. It was like an entire era had been resurrected, an era full of beautiful, bold, Black voices, a time when you could hear these women (Patti, Aretha, et al) internally reaching down as far as their toes to hit those notes. With one verse they could mirror your feelings and express something in a way you never could. Jones brings this same power to her songs.

Jones is an equal partner with the Dap-Kings. You haven't heard funk so stank and horns so hot since the last time you played all the JB and Maceo cuts from your Funk Box. Well, you actually have heard them recently, with the Dap-Kings playing on Amy Crackhouse's latest album, and some of the members having been in/still playing with that bastion of afrobeat and funk, Antibalas.

With NPR giving SJ & TDK their props, and the critical acclaim of their third album, 100 Days, 100 Nights, long-time fans can expect to share the TLA tonight with a bunch of yuppies trying to be edgy. No matter. Take a swig out of your cup and get that chip of your shoulder. There's enough funk for everyone.

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Tonight, 9PM
Fillmore at the TLA (4th and South)
Tickets: $17

Image credit: Laura Hanifin