FOUR MINUTES OF SOUL BLISS

This song is epic. Imagine Norman Whitfield and Isaac Hayes (sorry if you don't know them) co-producing Sharon Jones. All sorts of dynamic strings n' shit. And her voice, fuck, how can anyone keep that up? This song gives me goosebumps.

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Listen:
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Girl (You Got To Forgive Him) mp3 at Soul Donuts

DIDN'T GET THE POCKETS MEMO

Daptone just released their 100th single. I'd forgotten about the early days of the label, so I started near or at the beginning. The Sugarman 3. I got as far as them and that's as far as I'm going tonight. A couple hours of looking back and I got no further than one band, but I know a lot more than I did. I ran into a great profile of Neal Sugarman, the band's leader, sax player and co-founder of Daptone. In the middle of that profile, a link to a video of Sugarman's high school band, Boys Life. Oh, man, did he he ever bloom late. The early thing is interesting in its simplicity. They're earnest, I'll give them that much. Mindblowing though that Sugarman would go on to play behind Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Steve Cropper and Al Green, not to mention half of the acts on Daptone (Lee Fields, Sharon Jones, etc.).

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Listen:
Sugarman 3 - Chicken Half mp3 at Rubber City Review
Sugarman 3 with Naomi Davis - Promised Land mp3 at Solid Goldstein
Sugarman 3 with Lee Fields - Stand Up mp3 at Le Mellotron
Sugarman 3 - Rudy's Intervention mp3 at Magnet
Sugarman 3 - Soul Donkey mp3 at The Frump
Video:
Boys Life (Boston Good Day Show) w/Sugarman on sax at YouTube 1981
Visit:
Daptone’s Neal Sugarman On The Sweet Return Of The Sugarman 3 at Village Voice 2012

BLAME THIS

I spent the last two days at the beach. Rather than rattle my brain for some band or song to write about, here's what I'm playing after day two, pretty much spent. It fits my mood. Plus it's been a while since I listened to either Sugarman 3 or the Daktaris. Pop a beer or stuff a bowl, I don't care. I just talked my way out of another one.

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Listen: 
Sugarman Three - Rudy's Intervention mp3 at Magnet
Sugarman Three - Soul Donkey mp3 at The Frump
Lee Fields and Sugarman & Co. - Stand Up .mp3 at Lemellotron.com
The Daktaris - Musicai Silt mp3 at Big Rock Candy Mountain
The Daktaris - Super Afro Beat mp3 at ATumblr (?)

SHE LEFT US THIS

It hit me hard when Sharon Jones passed away a little over a year ago. Having grown up too late to experience Aretha Franklin's rise, becoming  the undeniable Queen of Soul, I became vested as a fan in Jones's rise, particularly because it came late in her life after decades of working regular jobs (if you count jobs like working as a corrections officer at Rikers Island a regular job). She was a powerhouse of an underdog, continuing to plug away as she battled cancer. While still fighting it, she suffered the first of two strokes while watching the 2016 presidential election results, joking the next day that it was caused by Donald Trump's victory. She had a second stroke the day after that and died a little over a week later.

Live she was dynamic, barely coming up for air in a set that was close to a James Brown pace. It was a show; soul, funk and sweat beginning to end without letting up. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are easily one of the top five bands I've seen live; tight, energetic, and able to fill a room with joy. You can't ask for more than that.

It's a Holiday Soul Party, her holiday themed LP was released in 2015. It's not your average holiday offering, I'll leave it at that.

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Listen:
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - 8 Days Of Hanukkah mp3 at Boogaloo Time
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Ain't No Chimneys In The Projects mp3 at Boogaloo Time
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Nine more songs at Boogaloo Time

A MIGHTY LOSS

Charles Bradley died this past Saturday. Cancer. He was a soul singer in the classic mold, part James Brown, part Otis Redding. He began his career at age fourteen as a James Brown tribute, and continued off and on that tangent for decades until he auditioned at Daptone. He was signed and had his first LP released at age 62. As he put it "Now, I'm gonna do Charles Bradley." He did, and he did it well.

Check his voice on the songs below. If you need a point of reference, listen to what he does to Nirvana's "Stay Away". Damn.

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Listen:
Charles Bradley - The World (Is Going Up In Flames) mp3 at Hey Cool Kid
Charles Bradley - Stay Away (streaming) at YouTube Nirvana cover
Charles Bradley - Love Bug Blues mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Charles Bradley - How Long mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Charles Bradley - The Telephone Song mp3 at Tin Can Land
Charles Bradley - Strictly Reserved For You mp3 at Melting Pot

HE JUST NEEDS TO TAKE IT

He sounds like Jackie Wilson, Ben E. King, Sam Cooke, and Ray Charles all rolled into one (yet he's white and he's British). He has a tight band, and now he's on Daptone. What does it take? If you're one of those people who wonders why James Hunter isn't better known, then you know he's been at it a while. His shit is perfectly good, so what's the deal?

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Listen:
The James Hunter Six - A Truer Heart mp3 at Soul Doughnuts
James Hunter - No Smoke Without Fire mp3 at ATumblr (?)
James Hunter - Carina mp3 at Caffeine Headache
James Hunter - Jaqueline mp3 at Bag of Songs
Video
The James Hunter Six - (Baby) Hold On (Live at WFUV) at YouTube

THIS JUST IN: SHIT WEEK 86'D

Not the way I like to wake up, not by a long shot. Checking the stats here this morning, I saw a comment from overseas buddy Espen, "Shit week just took another dump, Tom." posted with a link. As I was copying the URL of the link he posted I see the end of it "sharon-jones-dap-kings-dead". Fuck. I love Sharon Jones. After I read the thing E linked to, I went to Facebook. First comment I see, from Lady Spinsta, "One more for shit week." I've had it. I want shit week out of my house immediately.

I can still remember the first time I heard Sharon Jones's music. Tower Records, 2005, it was her "Naturally" CD. The R & B section at this record store was mostly current stuff, and what vintage soul or R & B there was was familiar stuff. The cover of that CD gave no clue of the era in which it was released, but it looked like some old stuff that I may have missed and/or should have known. I'd never heard of Daptone Records, or Sharon Jones, or the Dap Kings. Back then Tower Records had these great listening stations where you could just scan the bar code and listen before you bought it. So I gave it a whirl. After sampling a few tunes I still couldn't figure out when it was recorded, whether it was new or old. It really wasn't either. It was classic.

So that whole Daptone mob entered my sphere that day, not just Jones, all of them, because at the end of the day if it wasn't for Daptone Records, and the Dap-Kings, most of us would have never heard of Sharon Jones. After being told by record execs that she was "too fat, too black, too short, and too old" she marched on, and after hiring her to sing backup at one of their sessions, and ultimately signing her, Daptone gave her that shot that she needed, and unknowingly gave her the opportunity to live out her life doing what she loved to do. Twenty years of soul and funk, that's no small gift.

Check the video above. Nine and a half minutes at full throttle, at age 55. Unbelievable. And the only thing bad about it is a guest appearance by Prince, appearing from the wings to play some jag-off guitar. If you watch it from the beginning, you'll get so wrapped up in it that when Prince begins to play, you'll be thinking "Get him outta here, he's just ruining the whole vibe." You should watch the whole thing just to get an idea of her endurance.

This was supposed to be about her, a bio, you know the routine. It deviated and it got too personal. But, you know what? It feels personal. I've never met Sharon Jones, or the Dap-Kings, or anyone associated with Daptone Records, but they feel like family. I can't think of a reason for that, other admiration for the fact that everyone involved seemed to always be doing things right. I'll just leave at that. You can read her bio, about her records and her battle with cancer at other other sites. I just want to sit here and think about how great it is that Jones and the Dap-Kings found each other.

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Listen:
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - This Land is Your Land mp3 at Evil Vince
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - You're Gonna Get It mp3 at I Am Fuel You Are Friends
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - Just Dropped in (To See What Condition My Condition Is In) mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Genuine mp3 at Corey Barksdale (?)
Video:
Miss Sharon Jones - Documentary trailer at YouTube
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Live on KEXP at YouTube 34 minutes
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - More videos at Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Visit:
Sharon Jones, Soul Singer With Dap-Kings, Dies at 60 at NY Times
Postscript: Sharon Jones, 1956-2016 at The New Yorker

THE BIG BOUNCE

Earlier tonight, I felt like reading something random so I just grabbed a back issue of Waxpoetics, an issue from 2005, with an interview with Sharon Jones. While talking about Daptone Records in the interview she mentions the Daktaris, another band on the label. It's been at least a couple years since I last listened to them. After revisiting their LP, I was still jonesing for more early Daptone, so I did what I always do every two years after listening to the Daktaris, I listened to the Sugarman 3. Both bands just knock me out, funky and exotic, and after not hearing either for a long time, it was a movin' and a-groovin night over here. Outta my way Shit Week.

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Listen:
The Daktaris - Super Afro Beat mp3 at ATumblr (?)
The Daltaris - Musicawi Silt mp3 at Big Rock Candy Mountain
Sugarman 3 - Funky So-and-So mp3 at DK Presents
Visit:
Daptone Records

HELL YEAH

If you're a Sharon Jones fan, you know. If you you don't know her, dig the trailer. Hell, all of you will dig it, especially you long time fiends. Here's a few songs by her to get in the mood. Play "This Land is Your Land" at your Fourth of July barbecue and nod your head like you got it goin' on.

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Listen:
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - This Land is Your Land mp3 at Evil Vince
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - You're Gonna Get It mp3 at I Am Fuel You Are Friends
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - Just Dropped in (To See What Condition My Condition Is In) mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
Trailer:
Miss Sharon Jones at Yahoo Documentary, coming soon to theaters

COLLECTORS USE SIDE DOOR

How many times do we go digging for old beat up records and end up coming home with some soul also-rans that, if we pick them apart, we can find some break, horn section, or bass line that we are convinced elevate them to some unheard classic. We're dipshits. Sharon Jones has put out readily available top notch, as good as any ever recorded, soul records since 2002. I mean really, what are we? Scarcity whores? I'm thinking that we all better check our digger's pride at the door. That shit doesn't mean anything when it comes to Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. You can buy their stuff brand new and they'll sell you all you want. Your digging skills are powerless here big boy. Try to find a reason not to dig them. It all comes down to availability. That's why they aren't some zillion dollar white whale. Why they aren't insanely popular, that comes down to the cold hard brutal fact that the public at large has shit for taste. Fuck 'em, and fuck poo-pooing soul collectors. I like good soul music, period. And I love Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.

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Listen:
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - You're Gonna Get It mp3 at I Am Fuel You Are Friends
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Let Them Knock mp3 at KEXP
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Retreat mp3 at KEXP
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - How Long mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Greyboy with Sharon Jones and Quantic - Got To Be Love mp3 at Ear It Now  Snappy breaks
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Pick It Up Lay It In the Cup mp3 at Gemini Radio Funky, this one.
Visit:
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Official Site
Daptone Records

GOT A LIST? GOOD. ADD THESE.

The two songs below are from early releases on Daptone Records, around 2002 or so, and they're pretty indicative of what I like about the label. If you were to listen to these without knowing anything about them, you'd have a hard time guessing when they were recorded. You might not even be able to peg exactly what era they're emulating, or if it's even intentional. You know what else is cool? Music like this has no expiration date. You can go buy it now, or put it off until you're sixty. But, remember this, when you're at a weak moment and you;re tempted to take a chance on something current based on some jackoff blogger's raves, take it from this jackoff. Both of these LPs should take precedent. Says me. The jackoff.

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Listen:
Sugarman 3 - Funky So-and-So mp3 at DK Presents
The Daktaris - Super Afro Beat mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Visit:
Daptone Records

FULL ON VIVA ALL OVER THIS

Hell yeah, Sharon Jones is back! In what has to be the feel good story of the year, at least in soul circles, Jones has apparently beat cancer, diagnosed earlier this year. It pushed back the release of her latest Give The People What They Want until just a couple weeks ago. Now, she and her band, the almighty Dap-Kings, take the stage again, starting on February 6. Now the real gushing: If you haven't had the chance to see Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings but get an opportunity, I would strongly advise you make it a priority. They're touring the East coast in February, but they'll make the rounds. I saw them a few years ago and it wasn't just the best show I've seen in a decade, it's among the best I've ever seen; and I'm no spring chicken so I've seen a lot. 

Here's one song off the new one and a video for another. The video's cool. Jones is bald, presumably from the cancer treatment. That means she either did the video while she had cancer, or after she beat it. Either way it's remarkable. If you don't know her story, check out the Wikipedia entry, and the one at Daptone Records. She was already a feel good story ten years ago, and that was feel good enough. This is like some sort of feel good OD. We could all use some of that.

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Listen:

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Retreat mp3 at KEXP This smokes.

Visit:

Sharon Jones at Wikipedia

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings at Daptone Records

Earlier Sharon Jones posts Scroll down, there's bound to be some working links. 

GFOS TO SOA

Boy, oh boy, is this overdue. Everything that the Daptone mob comes within ten feet of usually finds its way here, one way or another. But Charles Bradley, the plucked from obscurity ex-GFOS impersonator, has been way overlooked. (Thanks to Lady Spinsta for pointing me towards to that trailer below.) These aren't really grunt and shout workouts, this is super smooth summer soul, Summer, maybe not intentionally, but it sure goes down smooth, like water on a hot day.

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Listen:
Charles Bradley - Strictly Reserved  For You mp3 at Melting Pot
Charles Bradley - You Put the Flame on It mp3 at I Am Fuel You Are Friends
Charles Bradley - Heartaches and Pain mp3 at Glorious Noise
Charles Bradley - Why Is It So Hard mp3 at I Pick My Nose
Visit:
Charles Bradley Official site
Charles Bradley at Daptone Records
Charles Bradley at Wikipedia

SIX BY THREE

Maybe the Sugarman 3 can help you concentrate while you vote. Actually, they just happened to be handy, and funky, and I'm lazy. But they hit the spot for me tonight. Give one a shot.

 

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Listen:
Sugarman 3 - Rudy's Intervention mp3 at Magnet
Sugarman 3 - Funky So-and-So mp3 at DK Presents
Sugarman 3 - Pure Cane mp3 at Ear It Now
Sugarman 3 - Down To It mp3 at Ear It Now
Sugarman 3 - Soul Donkey mp3 at If There Is Hell Below
Sugarman 3 with Lee Fields - Stand Up mp3 at One Track Mind
Visit:
Daptone Records
Sugarman 3 at Wikipedia

HOW THE HELL DID HE SNEAK IN?

How could a remix of a David Bowie song possibly get my attention?  When it's not really remixed, but recreated with all new backing tracks.  Yeah, I know, that's still kind of ho-hum, but hold on.  The backing tracks were recorded by members of the Budos Band, the Dap-Kings, and the Menahan Street Band.  Looking better?  The story behind it is that EMI asked four DJs from KCRW (in Santa Monica, CA), to remix it, to commemorate some deluxe reissue.  One of the DJs, Jeremy Sole, went all out, taking it with him to Dunham Studios in Brooklyn, which astute Dapheads will recognize as the studio for Daptone Records.  Here's what he had to say:

 "My plan was to not remix, but re-play the song in a full live setting, as if in 1975 Bowie recorded the original and then flew to Brooklyn (or even Jamaica) to cut another take with “my” players. Everything was recorded 100% analog to 2” tape. All equipment that was available before 1975. My approach was to take influence of the Jamaican musicians (and recording styles) of the mid-seventies, and their infatuation with American Soul music."
  

Check it out.  Whether or not you think it has any sort of Jamaican sound to it, it is sort of interesting.  There is a little dub in spots.  Personally, I think it could use a little more chunka-chunka guitar, but I'm an admitted armchair record producer, so my opinion usually has a little blowhard in it anyways. 

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Listen: 
David Bowie - Golden Years (remix) mp3 at Club Cortez
Bonus:
The Menahan Street Band - Home Again mp3 at Caipirinha Lounge
The Menahan Street Band - Montego Sunset mp3 at Caipirinha Lounge
The Menahan Street Band - Karina mp3 at Caipirinha Lounge
Related:
The Budos Band - Other posts
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - Other posts

MY KIND OF SURF MUSIC

Walking home from an evening dip earlier, it was one of those rare cynicism free moments. I'd gotten off early, and on my way down to the beach, I ran into a friend with all six of her kids, from the ages of five to fifteen, all half fish, as is their mom. A block later I ran into Gary, the guy who's always down on the wall by the beach handing out dog eared second hand bibles to any takers, sermon free. A hundred yards later, Larry, known to locals as "the guitar guy." He sits on the same rock, playing the same barely audible songs, that he has for going on twenty years. Larry lives in his van, but is a man with unbroken spirit, always appreciative of his real home, a rock by the sea. By the time I reached the water I was already on a familiar fall high. (Excuse me for getting wordy.) Heading home, saturated with warm weather, warm water, and total locals, I was thinking about what type of music would be most fitting for the last couple hours of daylight on a nearly perfect fall day. I had the Budos beat. The Budos Band is my go-to fall soundtrack, and after thinking about it, just as fitting for a surf movie soundtrack as Bud Shank was fifty years ago, and just as valid as Dick Dale and his mob.


Not entirely what I had in mind, but this almost works.

An interesting coincidence: When I looking for some songs, the first blog I landed on, This Bonus Track, began their Budos Band post thusly: "You’re driving along the edge of a cliff. It’s sundown and there’s an ocean next to you..." There's that damn ocean again.

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Listen:
The Budos Band - Ghost Walk mp3 at This Bonus Track
The Budos Band - Unbroken, Unshaven mp3 at This Bonus Track
The Budos Band - Chicago Falcon mp3 at This Bonus Track
The Budos Band - Natures Wrath mp3 at The Cargo Culte
The Budos Band - Mas O Menos (streaming) at Our Vinyl With a good interview

NEED ANYTHING FROM THE STORE?

It was kind of an oversight, and part lack of urgency.  Today was Record Store Day, and while I've reminded folks before, this year I started thinking a little more about it.  I'm still for it, don't get me wrong.  It's just that every day is Record Store Day, for those who got to record stores on a regular basis.  Not the one day a year Record Store Day that gets people back in the stores with limited event-only releases.  (Why not call it Record Collector Day?)  Because, for those who go to record stores, the reasons for going are constant.  Some people need the fix that shooting the shit about music delivers.  And there's no better place for that than a record store, preferably with a friend.  Even better if you know the person behind the counter.  Damn, I love that environment.  Especially because, for me, it's on the walk back from the beach, and summer's coming.  Cow Records, with wet trunks and sandy feet.  (Can you think of a better way to end a day on the beach?)

Several years ago, I ordered a Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings album through Cow.  They weren't familiar with her.  Then, a while later, the same thing occurred when I ordered a Budos Band band album.  Both bands were on Daptone Records.  That was a while back, and here we are,  Daptone just celebrated it's tenth anniversary, and Cow is still in business.  It is testament to the strength of the Daptone Records sound, brand, and roster, that I no longer have to ask about a Daptone release to the human equivalent of a dog's tilted head.  It's a label and a sound, as legit as Stax or Motown.  You could order some of their shit blind folded, any random artist on their roster, and end up with some quality stuff.  Here's one of their acts, the Sugarman Three.  These are funky grooves.  The first one is new, and the rest are from earlier records.  The Lee Fields thing is just another good one I stumbled upon.  Really, in the overall scheme of things, this shit is better than some oddball limited edition EP.  It exists every day.  And you can order it through a record store any time you need a fix. 

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Listen: 
Sugarman Three - Rudy's Intervention mp3 at Rolling Stone  
Sugarman Three - Soul Donkey mp3 at The Frump 
Sugarman Three - Down to It mp3 at Ear It Now 
Sugarman Three - Pure Cane mp3 at Ear It Now 
Lee Fields and Sugarman & Co. - Stand Up .mp3 at Lemellotron.com
Visit:
Daptone Records
Sugarman Three at Wikipedia

HOLY SHIT! ALREADY?

Ten years of Daptone Records. Unbelievable. How does that happen? They're too good. Weren't they supposed to have been squashed? It just goes to show you, if you put out a good product and don't overextend yourself, you can make it work. Remember, that's how record labels used to do it. And, like Stax, Chess and Sun, they have their own studio, so they control the sound; and what a sound it is. Have a listen, all of the stuff below was recorded in recent years (with the exception of Pax Nicholas, a rare reissue), yet every one is timeless. Once you get to know the roster, you'll be giddy every time you see the label; like you used to dream about happening again someday (when you were shuffling through your Stax and Motown thrift store finds). It's some most excellent shit friends, and it's high time to start paying attention again, if you haven't already.

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Listen:

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Is In mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
The Sugarman Three - Soul Donkey mp3 at The Frump
Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens - What Have You Done mp3 at Sonny Venice
Charles Bradley - Golden Rule mp3 at Musicalicious
Menahan Street Band - Montego Sunset mp3 at Grayson Stebbins
The Budos Band - Budos Rising mp3 at Ear It Now
Pax Nicholas & the Netty Family - Ataa Onukpa mp3 at Other Music
Video:
Daptone Records Celebrates Ten Years at YouTube
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - Let Them Knock (Live) at YouTube
The Budos Band - Unbroken, Unshaven at YouTube
Charles Bradley featuring the Menahan Street Band - The World (Is Going Up In Flames) at YouTube
Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens - What Have You Done at YouTube
The Daptone Records channel at YouTube
Visit:
Daptone Records
Soul Reviver - Good profile from the New York Times Magazine
Soul Sides - Today's reminder came from here

YES, I CAN HEAR YOU KNOCKING

Let me start by saying that the version of "Wild Horses" below, by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings is one of the best interpretations of a Stones song that I've ever heard, in any genre or era. A bold statement, I know, but listen to the whole thing. Not just a few bars, the whole thing. It builds and builds. It's epic. Really. It smokes.

As many of you probably know, the UK music magazine Mojo comes with a themed CD every month, with varying results I think you'd agree. But this month they did a bang up job of rounding up current soul acts to do covers of songs from the Stones' Sticky Fingers. The concept CD, titled Sticky Soul Fingers, is good enough that it's worth the price of the magazine (about ten bucks in the U.S.). While it's all current acts, with one of two exceptions they're all in the traditional soul vein, and it serves as an excellent overview of todays old school soul torch bearers. Believe me, if I was able to find more selections floating around, every cut on the compilation would be down there. (You can get snippets and a complete list of artists at Mojo's Sound Cloud here.) This sucker is in the running for the best album I've heard all year. That good.

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Listen:
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - Wild Horses mp3 at The Mad Makerel
Joe Black Lewis & the Honeybears - Sway mp3 at The Mad Makerel

Sticky Soul Fingers - Snippets of cuts at Mojo's Sound Cloud From Alice Russell, The Bamboos, Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens, the Sugarman 3, Aloe Blacc and Joel Van Dijk, Ren Harvieu, Anthony Joseph & the Spasm Band, Lee Fields and, of course, Sharon Jones and Black Joe Lewis.

SHARON JONES' "GAME GETS OLD"

It's heartening to see the success Sharon Jones has had the past few years, isn't it? When you think of all the underdogs who have anxiously stuck their toes in the big time (Susan Boyle comes to mind), Jones, with the aid of the Dap Kings, has churned out quality records consistently; to the point that she must be recognized as one of the greatest soul stylists still maintaining an active touring and recording schedule. Oh yeah, she's making hay while the sun shines, and good for her. Her latest video is a whopper. "Game Gets Old: The Trilogy" is over thirteen minutes in length, and cinematic in quality. Directed by Phillip Di Fiore, it apes the look of all of those old Blue Note LP covers (thanks to the Couch Sessions for pointing that out). Blue Note LP covers always get graphic design freaks drooling, so you can imagine how cool the video looks. Get yourself a cold one, maximize the screen and turn it up!

(Layout note: Unable to resize video frame to column width. Deal with it.)

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Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - Game Gets Old mp3 at Too Much Happiness
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - I Learned The Hard Way mp3 at Too Much Happiness
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - Let Them Knock mp3 at Tsururadio
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - Money mp3 at Dr Mooney's 115th Dream
Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens - What Have You Done video at YouTube (directed by Phillip Di fiore)
Blue Note LP covers (all) at Vintage Vanguard
Blue Note 1500 series LP covers at Birka Jazz
Blue Note 4000 series LP covers at Birka Jazz
Reid Miles (Blue Note graphic designer) profile at Computer Arts
Wu Tang albums, re-imagined as Blue Note Album Covers