I'm always searching for "real" music that's outside of the standard hip-hip/finger poppin'/dance heavy stuff played on commercial radio (how many times in one day can one stomach Beyonce Knowles, Lady Gaga, or Bieber???) A while back I heard an interview on "Fresh Air" with a group called Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. This group is amazing, with a sound that hails back to the days of good old soul and funk. Jones has that rich, raspy voice that lends itself to heartfelt, even painful renditions, and her band sounds like something straight out of Stax records. They use old-fashioned methods to record: real tapes, hand editing, actual acoustics caused by the recording room instead of computer manipulations. Very, very good stuff. Albums are on iTunes: I bought two straightaway after listening to the NPR interview.
Go to their web site to be treated to a listen to some of their latest songs, which start playing automatically. The first song up is "I Learned the Hard Way", which has a real old feel to it. Other recent songs you have to seek out are "Humble Me" and the awesome "100 Days, 100 Nights", which sounds as if it came straight off an actual record from the 60s. Two links below. The first is to their website, where you can hear some of their songs. The second is to a great NPR SXSW showcase in Austin where Jones' group was the headliner. There you can hear the entire gig they performed, which is close to an a hour long. Highly recommended!! http://www.sharonjonesandthedapkings.com/ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124091931
