Motown is back, and taking shape in the form of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. With the April 6th release of their new album, I Learned the Hard Way, this 10-person ensemble certainly lives up to their boisterous name that brings back memories of Gladys Knight & the Pips, Martha & the Vandellas and Diana Ross & the Supremes. I personally love their title track, I Learned the Hard Way—it radiates a punk-soul sound that makes me want to throw my hair up in a beehive and snap my fingers from side to side (huh?). Okay, so I’m a bit of a sucker for the old school, soul-filled music from back in the 60s and 70s, which is exactly why I love Sharon Jones’ approach to capture the essence of music as it was 40 years ago.

Jones demands her listeners’ attention with a powerful, emotional voice and a soulfulness that draws parallels with Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin. This lady’s got swagger! With nine dapper-looking men backing her up, playing instruments from the trumpet to the saxophone, this album has it all—pizzazz, soul, and brass.  The first track on the album, The Game Gets Old, displays Jones’ versatile, smooth voice, while the song Money starts off drearily as she whines about money, of course, and babbles on about gas prices, the president, and the shitty economy. It’s quite comical, yet dead on.

I Learned the Hard Way was produced by Bosco Mann, and was recorded on an eight-track tape machine. Crazy, right?. The ensemble is signed to Dapton Records, where the Dap-Kings are the house band. Hailing from Brooklyn, they were originally named the Soul Providers way back in the 90s (at the turn of the century, some drama went down and they became Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings), they then sought the the help of NYC-renowned musician Victor Axelrod (alias Eric Maxton or Ticklah) as their organist.

There’s no doubt that I absolutely love this new album.  Enjoy the MP3 above, and go buy the album as I assure you the whole thing is just as magnificent (if not more) as this one song. You should also check out their cover of Stevie Wonder’s Uptight (Everything’s All Right). This is just another one of the many amazingly talented bands from the great state of New York.  I’m definitely giving this album a solid 4.5/5 rating.