No, it is not a time warp, it really is old school funk coming out in the year 2005. Although when Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings first began releasing singles (and I do mean 45s) a few years back, all the collectors thought they'd stumbled upon some lost gem from the heyday of soul. They were soon revealed to be a modern day equivalent, copycatting the style to such an extent they had to go on tour to prove their authenticity. The first album was so perfect within the genre that some disregarded it as being too spot-on; not so with their second release, Naturally.

The “female James Brown” (as she likes to call herself), Ms. Sharon Jones is one of the most hard working women in the entertainment business, fronting a group of young R&B revivalists who play with all their heart and soul. Especially soul. Her voice is a righteous one, up there with early Aretha and Tina, crooning sadness or rebellion, depending on the circumstances. At moments, the band can get so energized you can almost see the sweat pouring off them during a Meters-esque freak-out, but the swoon factor dims the lights immediately after. “How Do I Let A Good Man Down” is a perfect example of the female funk formula… it's got a good beat and you can dance to it, and boy, does Sharon sound sassy! A special treat is her duet with Lee Fields, complete with a talky intro (“Open the door baby!” “I'm tired of your lies, we done been through this before!”) which leads into a lovely take-me-back ballad, then swaps soulful singing duties with a satisfying result.

By far, the highlight of this album is a cover: Sharon tackles Woody Guthrie, with a definitive version of “This Land Is Your Land,” which conveys an attitude of anger, confusion, and defiance intended with the original but lost with the whitewashing it has gone through over the years. As she belts out, “One bright sunny morning in the shadow of the steeple, down by the welfare office, I saw my people -- As they stood hungry, I stood there wondering if this land was made for you and me…” The anguished funk delivers the same impact as Donny Hathaway's “The Ghetto” except with the twist that the song's subjects have changed over time, and one suspects that Woody would appreciate it. -- Mo Herms

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Morphizm Mashup:
July 2005

White Stripes

50 Foot Wave

Van Morrison

Beck

The Raveonettes

Common

Gorillaz

M.I.A.

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings