Naturally

Sharon Jones (Dap-Kings): Sharon Jones (vocals); Tommy "TNT" Brenneck (guitar, piano); El Michels (baritone saxophone); Dave Guy (trumpet); Bosco Mann (bass guitar); Boogaloo Velez (congas); Neal Sugarman, Homer Steinweiss, Binky Griptite.Personnel: Lee Fields (vocals); Binky Griptite (guitar, background vocals); Antoine Silverman, Entcho Todorov (violin); Alex Kadvan (cello); Neal Sugarman (tenor saxophone); David Guy (trumpet); Bosco Mann (piano, vibraphone, tambourine); Homer Steinweiss (drums).Additional personnel: Lee Fields (strings).Audio Mixer: Gabriel Roth.Recording information: Daptone Studios, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY.Photographer: Dulce Pinzón.Arranger: Bosco Mann.NATURALLY was released in 2008, but from Sharon Jones's deeply soulful vocal performances to the Dap-Kings lean, air-tight funk, this album (the follow-up to Jones's equally excellent debut, DAP DIPPIN') sounds vintage enough to come straight from the glory days. On cuts such as "My Man Is a Mean Man" and "Your Thing Is a Drag," Jones & Co. churn out snappy, get-on-up riffs and rhythms that recall the JB's in their heyday. But NATURALLY also points elsewhere in the history of R&B, with the smooth soul-pop of "How Long Do I Have to Wait for You?" and the smoldering ballad "You're Gonna Get It" leaning more toward the sounds of Motown and Stax/Volt (to say nothing of her soul-fried version of "This Land is Your Land"). Jones is a singer of emotional substance with the pipes to match, and her band never misses a lick. Old-school fans of funk-fueled soul should rejoice: the music is alive and well.

top soul CDs

20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection - Etta James +w Recorded in the 1960s. Includes liner notes by Joseph Laredo. All tracks...  read more

2.  The Essential Etta James - Etta James +w 3.  Midnight Soul Collection [Box] - Various Artists +w 4.  The Best of 1963-1964 - The Tymes +w 5.  Hitsville USA, Vol. 2: The Motown Singles Collection 1972-1992 [Box] - Various Artists +w 6.  Greatest Hits - The Chambers Brothers +w 7.  The 70's Soul Experience [Box] - Various Artists +w 8.  The Very Best Of James Brown - James Brown +w 9.  Hell - James Brown +w 10.  In The Jungle Groove - James Brown +w

top r&b CDs

Tha Carter III - Lil Wayne +w Although his first studio album in three years has been long-awaited and repeatedly...  read more

2.  Maybe I'm Dreaming - Owl City +w 3.  Tha Carter 2: Deluxe Edition [PA] - Lil Wayne +w 4.  M!ssundaztood - Pink +w 5.  I'm Not Dead [PA] - Pink +w 6.  The Essential Michael Jackson - Michael Jackson +w 7.  Thriller - Michael Jackson +w 8.  A Girl Like Me - Rihanna +w 9.  Thriller (25th Anniversary Edition) - Michael Jackson +w 10.  As I Am - Alicia Keys +w