Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - I Learned The Hard Way (LP)

Tracklist: A1 The Game Gets OldA2 I Learned The Hard WayA3 Better ThingsA4 Give It BackA5 MoneyA6 The ReasonB1 Window ShoppingB2 She Ain't A Child No MoreB3 I'll Still Be TrueB4 Without A HeartB5 If You CallB6 Mama Don't Like My Man Label: DaptoneCatalog: DAP-019 I Learned the Hard Way was produced and recorded on an Ampex eight-track tape machine by Gabriel Roth in Daptone Records’ House of Soul studios, the record drips with a warmth and spontaneity rarely found since the golden days of Muscle Shoals and Stax. Sharon’s raw power, rhythmic swagger, moaning soulfulness, and melodic command set her firmly alongside Tina Turner, James Brown, Mavis Staples, and Aretha as a fixture in the canon of soul music. From the lush Philly-Soul fanfare that ushers in “The Game Gets Old” at the top of the record, to the stripped down Sam Cooke-style “Mama Don’t Like My Man” at the tail, the Dap-Kings dance seamlessly through both the most crafted and simple arrangements with subtlety and discipline.