SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS – NATURALLY (20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS
NATURALLY (20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION)
DAPTONE RECORDS

Twenty years ago, the late Sharon Jones, alongside backing band The Dap-Kings, released their sophomore album Naturally. The record was a milestone for not only Jones or the newly founded label Daptone Records, but more importantly marked the early stages of a modern soul revival. Now, to commemorate two decades of the iconic album, Daptone has released Naturally (20^th Anniversary Edition), an expanded collection that sees the original album remastered along with an instrumental cut of each song.

Jones’ vocal delivery captures the sound of an era long gone. From the opening verse of “How Do I Let A Good Man Down?”, this is immediately clear to the listener as they follow her intricate melodies that weave around the band’s shuffling ostinato. As the remaining nine tracks of the original album continue, this is only further developed through songs like the bouncy “Natural Born Lover” and the sauntering rendition of “This Land Is Your Land”. Without a weak moment, this is perhaps best demonstrated on the breakneck pace of “My Man Is A Mean Man”, the groovy “How Long Do I Have To Wait For You?”, and the lush closing ballad, “All over Again”. It is clear to see how instrumental Jones and The Dap-Kings were to the ascent of both Daptone Records and a cult-cultural interest in classic soul – Naturally remains a modern classic.

The second, expanded half of the record, is entirely instrumental. With this, The Dap-Kings are prominently featured as the backing band takes the lead. Through this, we see how tight of an ensemble they are, demonstrating a level of restraint in their performance that is faithful to the genre and, ultimately, is simply begging to be sampled. Moments like the precisely displaced arrangement of “Your Thing Is A Drag” to the hypnotic “Stranded In Your Love”, and the stomping heft of “Fish In The

Dish” to the longing of “You’re Gonna Get It” captures a sense of versatility and a greater level of musicianship among the band, justifying the title they would earn as the baddest band in the land.

Twenty years on, Naturally remains an incredible body of work that sounds and feels as though it was unearthed from the vaults of a long defunct studio in Memphis. In 2005, Jones & The Dap-Kings did the impossible by curating a sound that very well could have emerged from the ‘60s and, while Jones steals the show with that stunning voice, a spotlight is shines on The Dap-Kings through the instrumental cuts, demonstrating how incredible of a band they are. If anything, Naturally (20^th Anniversary Edition) is an important reminder to the timelessness of both Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and soul music.

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