Something that the Chicago Tribune’s ace pop music critic Greg Kot said in an interview in the latest issue of Stop Smiling is applicable in describing Sharon Jones’ latest record, 100 Days, 100 Nights. The question leading to this response was an inquiry into his opinion of the state of current rock journalism and before there can be any claims laid to any enhanced context over here (I lack a great breadth, there’s always so much more to know, but we’re trying as hard as we can), we submit Kot’s perfect summation of why bands are buzzed about when they’ve not done anything yet. Sharon Jones can be excluded from the heap of artists unjustifiably raved about, context or not as she’s from the generation that all soul revues are based upon. She is a late-bloomer, but should be considered as someone cryogenically frozen and thawed in a place that needed her. It’s not a nostalgic trip, her appreciation or the ballyhoo, it’s just facts jack. She is a no-nonsense Miss, a steamy, steamy soldier of soul who’s finally getting her time. Said Kot, “The great thing about any journalism is context: somebody’s ability to bring in a story and put it into a broader perspective for people who may not understand that particular world, but can understand it through the context that the writer brings to it. I think that’s what a lot of music critics are missing today. Some of these newer bands are hyped so much initially, then suddenly a year or two later, you don’t hear about them anymore. It’s because the initial hype is based on an illusion. Well, in fact, it’s been done several times before, in previous eras. If it’s put into the right context, it doesn’t look so innovative and life-changing anymore.” Jones makes her own context, it would seem, despite the familiar territory of cheating men and not putting up with their shit anymore. The Dap-Kings are tops here (can’t wait to hear what they do with Richard Swift this year) and Jones is a fresh-faced new legend at 51 years old, belting out her call, spilling her drink in memory of the James Browns, the Otis Reddings, and the Sam Cookes, three who didn’t think about what was wanting to get out of their mouths so much as let it happen, no questions asked.

Daytrotter’s Best 15 Albums of 2007
15. John Vanderslice — Emerald City
14. The National — Boxer
13. These United States — The Forest and the Garden
12. The Teeth — You’re My Lover Now
11. Dr. Dog — We All Belong
10. Brother Ali — The Undisputed Truth
9. Delta Spirit — Ode To Sunshine
8. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings — 100 Days, 100 Nights

Sharon Jones’ Daytrotter Bookery Reading
Daptone Records
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings MySpace
Stop Smiling Magazine
Sound Opinions