Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings Give The People What They Want on LP + Download

For Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, 2013 has become a year of unforeseen challenges and transformations. Three months before the original scheduled release of the group’s highly anticipated fifth studio record, Give the People What They Want, Sharon Jones, the lead singer and matriarch of the worlds’ #1 live soul act, was diagnosed with cancer. What was projected to be a hectic and exciting year of worldwide touring was quickly taken over by hospital rooms, doctors, and many unknowns. At 57, Jones has lived through her fair share of hardships and heartbreak, but being separated from the stage and her fans has proven to be the most difficult challenge yet.

Thanks to an extremely gifted medical staff, several months of recovery and the infinite love and support from friends, family and fans, Sharon is back, ready to once again join her Dap-Kings as they share their music with people around the globe. “My fans are what kept me fighting, and kept me focused on getting better”, Jones says. “Everything I love can be summed up by the moment I get on stage, and start giving the people what they want. That’s real love. That’s real music.”

While many artists have come and gone, why have Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings only continued to grow steadily in popularity around the world? How can they continue to sell-out huge theaters, headline festivals, and sell hundreds of thousands of records year after year with neither major label support nor a single radio hit? The reason is simple. People love their music. There is no other band around today that plays with the rhythm, feeling, or explosive power of the Dap-Kings, there is no other singer that can match the energy and honest soul of Sharon Jones, and there is no other record that embodies this captivating sound better than their latest studio endeavor, Give the People What They Want.

Last year, they returned once again to Daptone’s studio/headquarters in Bushwick, Brooklyn (affectionately known by many as “The House of Soul”) to write and record a new record. This time, the band (drummer Homer Steinweiss, guitarists Binky Griptite and Joe Crispiano, conguero Fernando Velez, trumpet player Dave Guy, tenor saxophonist Neal Sugarman, baritone saxophonist Cochemea Gastelum, and bassist/producer Bosco Mann) brought in background vocalists the Dapettes (Saundra Williams and Starr Duncan), who have been touring with the band for over a year, to round out the sound and in a few weeks emerged with thirty tracks of what would be their strongest work to date.

“The hardest part was picking the tunes for the record,” says Mann. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a session that was that exciting and productive before. It just seemed like everybody had so many songs and riffs bottled up from being on the road so long. The writing just came naturally, each one of us feeding off each other just like we do on stage. It was a real collaboration and I think that shows on the record. It obviously has all of the hard rhythm and drive that people expect from us – perhaps more – but we’ve definitely crossed into some uncharted territory. Our songwriting process has definitely blossomed into something pretty amazing, and Sharon never ceases to amaze us with her energy. She seems to sing better and better every day.”

From the drop of the needle onto the relentless stomping entrance of "Retreat!," the lilting cathartic bounce of the anthemic "We Get Along," and the irresistible syncopations of "Stranger to My Happiness," straight through to the intoxicating fade out groove of "Slow Down, Love," the Dap- Kings have fulfilled the seemingly impossible promise of their own career and brought us the next chapter in what’s proving to be an enduring story of a truly prolific band. Simply great music from a great band, because in the end, that’s all the people really want.

1.  Retreat!

2.  Stranger To My Happiness

3.  We Get Along

4.  You'll Be Lonely

5.  Now I See

6.  Making Up And Breaking Up (And Making Up And Breaking Up Over Again)

7.  Get Up And Get Out 

8.  Long Time, Wrong Time

9.  People Don't Get What They Deserve

10. Slow Down, Love