On her latest album it’s easy to see that Sharon Jones is exploring and coming to terms with her own mortality, and understandably so. She just went through a battle with pancreatic cancer and has come out on top, ready to take on the world along with her Dap-Kings. “Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn!” she bellows over and over again on opening track “Retreat!” off of her and the Dap-Kings’ latest album Give the People What They Want. The song sets an appropriate tone for the rest of the record, one where they are inviting listeners to buckle up for the ride that is their new vigor. Even cancer couldn’t get the best of Jones and it sounds like she calls it – or something/someone else – out by shouting, “What a fool you’ve been to have taken me on!”
Clocking in at just over a half hour in length, Give the People What They Want doesn’t feel like a short record. The longest song is 4:03 (closer “Slow Down, Love”), but each track feels exactly as long as it needs to be. All too often artists commit the crime of making otherwise great songs longer than they need to be and end up causing listeners to grow tired by the end. That is not the case with this collection of songs.
Other highlight tracks are “You’ll Be Lonely”, “Making Up and Breaking Up (and Making Up and Breaking Up Over Again)”, and the aforementioned “Slow Down, Love”, the last of which is a calming ballad-esque throwback to funk jams of the ‘60s. It really showcases Jones’ beautiful voice.
Give the People What They Want is a completely solid entry into the already-fabulous catalogue of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. The great thing about bands like this is that they crank out new music quickly simply because they love to do it. They certainly aren’t the most famous band on the radio these days (if you can find a channel that even plays them) but it’s safe to say that they would be the first ones to say they don’t care about that. So sit back (or get up and dance) with a glass of your favorite red wine and enjoy the funk!
Sharon Jones & The Dap–Kings – Slow Down Love
