Album of the Week: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, 'It's a Holiday Soul Party'
by Bill DeVille
December 21, 2015
The year 2015 was a rough one for Sharon Jones.
She was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2013. This fall, she began chemotherapy again when the cancer returned. But even the "big C" won't slow down this feisty singer. Maybe singing and bringing a little funk, soul and joy to the world is good for whatever ails you!
This festive package from Sharon and the Dap-Kings might be THE holiday collection of 2015, or even of the last few years. It's a Holiday Soul Party sounds like a real labor of love — a great mix of Christmas classics, a few new ones, and maybe the coolest Hanukkah song to come along since that goofy Adam Sandler tune. There are certainly not enough Hanukkah songs in the world; "8 Days of Hanukkah" boasts a James Brown funk groove that this band could play in its sleep.
Guitarist Binky Griptite takes a turn at the mic on "World of Love"; this slow soulful jam is gorgeous and inclusive as Binky sings, "Whether you're agnostic, Muslim, Christian, a Jew / Children of world are depending on you / We gotta get together and have a world of love," this one rings especially loud and true.
And Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings' takes on holiday classics are fresh as just-fallen snow. Their rollicking rendition of "White Christmas" hints at Chuck Berry. "Silent Night" takes a Texas-blues route, and "Please Come Home For Christmas" is funkier than the Charles Brown original.
It's also nice that the band's "Ain't No Chimneys in the Projects," which they released as a single a few years ago, is no longer an orphan; it found a home on this album.
So put on that ugly sweater and your dancin' shoes, spike your eggnog (if that's your thing), and turn on this new Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings album — 'cuz It's A Holiday Soul Party!