Give the People What They Want is aptly named. For more than 10 years, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings have put out soul and funk albums that are as good as late-'60s material from Motown and Stax. Because the group very rarely stray from that formula, it's easy to overlook what a treasure each record is.
The new album follows paths the Dap-Kings forged on 100 Days, 100 Nights and I Learned the Hard Way. Each song is timeless yet timely. With a refrain of "Come together," "We Get Along" sounds like a rallying cry from the 1970s, though its theme of cooperation is still relevant today.
"Making Up and Breaking Up (and Making Up and Breaking Up Over Again)" sounds like something Burt Bacharach might have written for Dusty Springfield. It could easily be the theme song of a late-'60s romantic comedy.
If you're looking for Jones and her band to break new ground, you're out of luck. Fortunately, they're doing a great job of digging up the past, finding new revelations by the shovelful.
