Naturally

Album review

If there is one bad thing about Sharon Jones' career, it's that it took so long for her to find the success she deserved. After years spent singing in church and as a backing vocalist for others, the onetime corrections officer finally broke big—complete with movie soundtracks and TV commercials—at age 49 thanks to Naturally, her second record with the Dap-Kings but the first one that really matters. Released in 2005, it ushered in a much-needed soul and funk revival a year before Amy Winehouse delivered Back to Black, which borrowed the Dap-Kings. Jones' voice is a marvel: rich, warm, sure and big big big. It's also singular. She deserves to be mentioned alongside James Brown, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin, but she doesn't sound like any of them. That's how she's able to strut right in with a cover of "This Land Is Your Land" and convince anyone that, yeah, she owns the place. She does sultry (the doo-wop flavored "You're Gonna Get It"), determined ("How Do I Let a Good Man Down") and swagger ("Natural Born Lover") with equal skill. To be fair, as much of a clarion call as that voice is, it's matched by the time-machine mechanics of the Dap-Kings. "My Man Is a Mean Man" is as water-tight as anything by the Meters—the rhythm section creating an 18-wheeler rumble, the brass as bright as sunshine, and sax runs doing a nifty shimmy. Jones passed away from cancer in 2016, but we're lucky to have this keepsake. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz