In an age where synth-soaked sensations like Ke$ha and Katy Perry dominate the airwaves, and entire albums are made using only a computer program, it is easy to forget pop music's glory days, when music came from instruments, lyrics were lyrical, and singers sang.
Luckily, with the rise of the almighty autotune emerged a small circle of artists - ones that actually earn that greatly abused title - whose mission is to bring the classic funk/soul sound of the 60s and 70s to the forefront of modern day pop. They call it the revivalist movement, and though propelled by vintage soul sirens like Amy Winehouse and Bettye LaVette, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings are its unofficial monarchs. And last night at Toronto's Sound Academy, they proved just why.
"Baby, You've Got What It Takes"
The scene alone was refreshing enough. Ten slickly dressed musicians consisting of tenor and baritone sax, trumpet, guitars, bass, percussion and backup stood in a semicircle around the mighty Sharon Jones who delivered a 2-hour rapid-fire performance that left even the youngest audience members in awe of her energy. Her band, The Dap-Kings (also the backing band for Amy Winehouse) grooved along calmly, wisely ceding the stage to Ms. Jones and her high-octane antics.
Guests stood practically dumbfounded as the veteran soul vixen swagged across the stage with the fervor of an inspired evangelical, delivering dance moves that were as on point as her fierce voice - a throaty contralto that, like vintage vinyl, has just the right amount of scratchiness .
The band torched through hits like 100 Days, 100 Nights from the 2006 album of the same name, but the majority of the evening's set list was drawn from 2010's I Learned The Hard Way. Among crowd favourites were "Give It Back" and the stripped-down "Mama Don't Like My Man", which she prefaced with an entertaining monologue about her childhood in Savannah, Georgia (not ironically, also the birthplace of James Brown). During "Window Shopper", the slow-burning assault on men who can't commit, Jones pulled one unsuspecting college boy onto the stage for a seductive tongue lashing that he surely won't soon forget.
As if the air-tight sounds of the rhythmically fierce Dap-Kings wasn't thrilling enough, Ms. Jones stretched out song intros and doled out tidbits of advice that, for a former Rikers Island prison guard, were most definitely hard-earned. Judging from hoots and hollers alone, its safe to say the crowd was responsive.
"The Game Gets Old"
After thunderous applause, lead guitarist Binky Griptite returned to the stage to egg on the already riled up audience. The band returned to the stage, drinks in hand, to perform a final set that included individual solos from each player, including two powerhouse background vocalists. Ms. Jones gracefully signed autographs and took pictures with fans at the merch table, and even accompanied this writer in a short rendition of Nina Simone's "Go To Hell".
The sheer talent of Sharon Jones and her formidable Dap Kings could keep them riding the soul revival wave for decades to come. Even on its own, their antique, nostalgic sound is enough to quell the cries of the desperate casualties of the 'Age of Autotune'. But, as year-round tourers with the rare ability to perform as well live as they do in the studio, this band understands the old Woody Allen adage that '80% of success is showing up'.
And for that reason, they are sure to be showing up for years to come.
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