Live review: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings @ the Boulder Theater

By Craig Randall | March 18th, 2010 | No Comments »

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings constitute a royal rainbow coalition of rump-raising rock (Photo courtesy Sharon Jones).

With twice the soul and probably 100 times the reliability, you should look no further than Sharon Jones when the itch for live soul music needs scratching. Who is she more reliable than, you ask?

It’d be that London crooner with a penchant for bingeing and erraticism. Not saying I’m not a fan of Amy Winehouse; “Back in Black” is a perennial favorite of mine, but Sharon Jones has her beat in stage presence, pipes and, dare I say … style?

Plus, I’m confident in saying that Jones doesn’t indulge in the same career nosediving extracurriculars that Winehouse does.

The common thread that binds these two singers is the Dap-Kings, a contemporary R&B-obsessed band who have mastered the nuances of their Stax and Motown brethren.

Straight from Bedstuy with a sound via ’60s-era Detroit, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings deftly channeled both James Brown and modern R&B during Wednesday night’s E-Town taping at the Boulder Theater. The eight-member Dap-Kings tapped out a steady rhythm with synchronized horn blasts and a pounding backbeat.

As if this band needed any more swagger, their matching suits coupled with Jones’ bright-yellow retro dress set a “dap”-er looking stage.

Rhythm guitar player Binky Griptight provided Jones’ intro over an anticipatory groove, and thus the soul barrage began.

Playing cuts primarily from their next album (“I Learned the Hard Way,” due April 6), Jones is quite possibly the most apt candidate to inherit the J.B. throne. But she’s got a style all her own. You would be hard pressed to find a similar female soul singer in the last half-century, because a Diana Ross or Roberta Flack she’s not. Jones has a strut, stomp, and pointer-finger-wave that brings a contrast to the Dap-Kings’ strictly business demeanor.

E-Town’s bi-monthly takeover of the Boulder Theater ensures the audience is well-mannered and, to be honest, subdued. So it was all people could do to keep from kicking over the seat in front of them and shaking their collective rump on this night.

Song No. 2 was another new one, with Jones saying afterward it was the first time ever played live, and “Oooh, I was so nervous,” she added.

After a tell-all interlude with E-Town’s host Nick Forster, the band played what would be the first take of the new album’s title track. The baritone sax player provided a humorous transition during this one, as he traded his nearly 4-foot tall sax for a tiny flute for the song’s chorus sections.

Take two closed the show and proved why an E-Town taping is such a unique concert experience.

“It was one of the first times we’d played this one live … we can do it better,” Jones said as they started it anew.

Ah, the joys of editing.

Taking a break from the new, the band threw in a lively take of “100 Days, 100 Nights,” the highlight of their 2007 release. The band played an extended breakdown section during this song, which was met with Jones steadily working the tempo back up with her whole-body and soul animation.

E-Town was a nice change of pace from the typical concert, but I’m already yearning for this band’s next Colorado gig, where hopefully I can shake that pent-up rump with Amy Winehouse-like abandon.

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Craig Randall is a Boulder-based writer and PR pro with an identity crisis. He credits both “Let Me Love You Down” and “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” as life-changing tracks. Check out his website.