This is definitely this years’ Nicole Willis as it puts the young pretenders of the ‘Amy Winehouse’ sound (via Mark Ronson and The Haggis Horns) in detention.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings’ first album, Naturally, as brilliant as it was, was mostly a collection of previous 7” singles. This second album finds them totally in their analogue element. Even if the 10 tracks come in at just over half an hour, this is a more ‘album’ based approach than their first album.

A prime example of this deeper more confident approach is the title track which races along at the start until they slow it down to a walking pace. Brilliant lyrics and it’s sung with a power to blow Marva and anybody else away.

‘Nobody’s Baby’ keeps the tempo cool and then ‘Tell Me’ hits. Pure classic inspiration of the talcum powered dance floor kind. Expect it to be high up on Andy Smith’s Northern Soul at forthcoming Jazz Café gigs. All those crate diggers can “Tell me you love me” as those vibes are pure magic.

The strangely entitled ‘When The Other Foot Drops, Uncle’ is another Jones/horn opus with a touch of vibe with a rather great and unexpected ending. If you’re looking for a bit of reflection, ‘Humble Me’ and ‘Answer Me’ come direct from the church of the Godfather of Soul (RIP) himself; indeed, we are so grateful for her voice.

‘Keep On Looking’ could have a been a Ronson/Winehouse production as it’s heavy on the rhythm guitar and comparisons with the sound of ‘Winehouse’ are never too far away as The Dap-Kings recorded half of the music on Back to Black and Mark Ronson’s Versions. Can’t have enough of a good thing I say, but why the edit of the solo at the end of ‘Keep On Looking’?

So while The Dap-Kings have spread themselves around, Jones hasn’t been idle either as she’s been a guest with Rufus Wainwright and They Might Be Giants, toured with Lou Reed in Australia, Europe and the US as part of the live production of Berlin and wrote her own children’s book and CD, Ella the Elephant (published by Penguin Books).

And do these guys love to perform? Since 2005 they’ve done 267 Shows, 21 Tours, in 14 countries on 3 Continents (see last years’ Fly’s interview with Sharon Jones).

If you’re a fan of the ‘revivalist’ sound or a purist who’s into rare soul and funk compilations (such as DJs Matt Winegarden or Ian Wright), 100 Days, 100 Nights is a must have as every track is a winner.

Hectic Mix nominations: ‘Tell Me’, ‘When The Other Foot Drops, Uncle’, ‘100 Days, 100 Nights’, ‘Humble Me’, ‘Answer Me’

Reviewed: Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings — 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone Records) Cat.No. DAP-012-P Release date: September 25th, 2007
Tracklisting:
1 100 Days, 100 Nights (3:45)
2 Nobody’s Baby (2:27)
3 Tell Me (2:46)
4 Be Easy (3:03)
5 When The Other Foot Drops, Uncle (3:15)
6 Let Them Knock (4:29)
7 Something’s Changed (2:56)
8 Humbe Mel (4:05)
9 Keep On Looking (2:49)
10 Answer Me (4:08)

Links:
www.myspace.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings
www.daptonerecords.com
Andy Smith’s Northern Soul 4th Birthday Weekender + Dave Ball (Soft Cell) & Paolo Hewitt September 07/08 Jazz Café www.jazzcafe.co.uk
Marva Whitney & Oska Thompson November 23/24 Jazz Café www.jazzcafe.co.uk