I finally decided to dip my toes into the Daptone waters, and ordered the Gold Vol. II comp on LP. Holy crap, how did I avoid this music all these years? I see a big catalog order being placed very soon...
Don't forget another record from their "sister" label Truth and Soul Records. Lee Fields - Emma Jean. IMHO it rivals Charles Bradley's debut and I think IT is the best modern soul album of the last ten years ( and I am a big CB fan)
Daptone's got a new rock imprint called Wick (I guess short for Bushwick Brooklyn). Like Ardent and Stax I guess. Expect a soul-infused indie garage sound. I believe a group I like called the Jay Vons will be recording with them soon.
I'll join the praise on the Daptone label. I love the Sharon Jones stuff. Get it all. The Sugarman 3 is another favorite. I'm a jazz fiend so this one hits the mark. Budos Band is another favorite. I haven't heard the newest one but I have read it is more guitar centric. The early ones are more horn dominant and I love them. I'm worried about the new one. I have the first Charles Bradley album and it's good but I prefer the instrumental music tbh although I really like Sharon Jones. She's the real deal. I've never had a problem with their vinyl.
Don't worry , it's still very much horns dominant The guitar sound is heavier and that sneaky farfisa organ may be less obvious but it's The Budos Band sound for sure
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings "It's a Holiday Soul Party" has been doing quite well over here in the UK in recent weeks in the run up to Xmas and the New Year, particularly on vinyl (it's a seasonal red pressing!).
Sharon's been featured in at least 3 TV commercials over here. Now days that's a sign of success. Great label, I haven't heard anything in Wick yet. I love the concept.
James Hunter Six have their Daptone debut due in February 2016 (though their previous album was released on vinyl by Daptone): http://www.jameshuntermusic.com/the...op-his-daptone-records-debut-on-february-5th/ https://soundcloud.com/daptone-records/james-hunter-six-baby-hold-on/s-sqmix
I bought "Minute By Minute" and it's great. Not surprisingly, it sounds more like the better early 1960s British bands' version of R&B (ie: Long John Baldry, Chris Farlowe) more than the real American stuff, but in no way is that inauthentic. Highly recommended! I also picked up the Impressions' 45 (they currently have a lead singer who sounds sorta like Curtis) - one side is a song written by Curtis for Major Lance ("Rhythm") and the flip was written by Binky Griptite, with the horn charts written by Johnny Pate! Killer! I just bought Naomi Shelton's "Cold World" and it's beautiful. I also bought Sharon Jones' "Soul Time," which I believe is a collection of tracks originally issued on 45. Fantastic. I was supposed to also get in my shipment Saun & Starr's "Look Closer," but Daptone screwed up and sent me two copies of the Naomi Shelton LP. (I'm still working on getting that resolved.) Daptone is my new favorite label. I have a lot of respect for what they're doing.
I do love what they (Daptone) are doing. That being said, as I mentioned in another thread, I sometimes wish that they would go to outside songwriters, as I feel that some of the songs Sharon has recorded are very cliche and not worthy of her talents! Especially when she sounded so wonderful covering Amy Winehouse ("You Know I'm No Good") and Shirley Bassey ("Goldfinger").
As I mentioned, Daptone screwed up one of my orders and sent me two copies of one LP, and shorted me on one. I sent them an email explaining the situation, offering to return the wrong LP on my dime if they'll send me the missing LP and throw in a 45 as compensation for the cost of shipping it back. They sent me a nice email back and took me up on the offer, and asked me to provide a list of a few singles that I was interested in, in case something was out of stock. I replied with four choices, and I was told that one of them was out of stock, but the other three would be sent with my replacement LP! Now THAT'S excellent service!
I love Daptone and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. I've begun to dig into the Daptone catalog and have grabbed Saun & Starr's debut album and Charles Bradley's debut as well as the new James Hunter Six.
After dipping my toes in the Daptone waters with Sharon Jones' albums over the years, I recently dove head-first into the Daptone deep end, so to speak, and placed orders on their label web site for The James Hunter Six's Hold On! blue vinyl, The Budos Band I, II, and III CDs, and Look Closer by Saun & Starr on LP and CD. I've always loved vintage throwback albums and keep coming back to that retro soul sound time and again. Every time I spin a Sharon Jones disc I wonder why I don't listen to any of the six CDs of hers that I own more often! They're fantastic! I'm looking forward to falling in love with any of the above mentioned albums, soon.
They are all excellent. Saun & Starr's album is one of my favorites of recent memory. Lots of catchy hooks and very cool Daptone sounds. Enjoy!
In the past month or so, Lee Fields and James Hunter both played in nearby Cambridge, and both shows were superb. The backing bands these guys use are spot-on great. James Hunter's new album is fantastic too, and he puts on an amazing live show, not to be missed!
Yeah, that's a really good record, the pop-soul side of Daptone. It should be blasted out of windows all over the world.
AMEN! The lady of the house is in love with that album too. She came home the other day when it was nice out and had "Blah Blah Blah Blah" blasting out the car stereo.
