Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (photo by Jacob Blickenstaff, PR)
It’s A Holiday Soul Party
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Daptone
Brooklyn’s beloved retro-soul and funk band, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, is spreading the cheer this season with It’s A Holiday Soul Party, a new seasonal album. It invokes the memory of vintage vibes provided by classics from years past, like 1963’s A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, 1968’s Soul Christmas, and 1973’s A Motown Christmas.
Joining Jones and her Dap-Kings bandmates are the vocal duo Saun and Starr, the Bronx natives Saundra Williams and Starr Duncan Lowe, who are also part of the Daptone family. Mixing new, original songs with more traditional favorites, It’s A Holiday Soul Party isn’t your typical holiday album. It kicks off with two unique seasonal tunes: “8 Days (Of Hanukkah),” a soulful Hanukkah song, and “Ain’t No Chimneys In The Projects.”
The double entendre of “Big Bulbs,” contributed by Williams, is a playful tune destined to be an eggnog-chugging sing-a-long. Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” gets a total makeover as an early rock 'n' roll rave up, while “Silver Bells” gets a similar jump-start. “Silent Night” is turned into a warm blues number and the solemn carol “Funky Little Drummer Boy” is funked up a notch.
When it comes to Charles Brown’s “Please Come Home For Christmas,” the band stays faithful to the original rendition, but the album’s grand finale, “God Rest Ye Merry Gents,” is delivered in Dap-Kings style.
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings is the perfect house band for this season’s holiday cheer. In fact, they are part of 2015’s Holiday Cheer for FUV, along with Brandi Carlile, Dawes, and Lucius. The upbeat, festive and funky It’s a Holiday Soul Party deserves to be the soundtrack to many December gatherings for years to come.
