New releases this week: Funk

Review: Brooklyn's Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were already underground legends by 2005, but this was the release that blew the doors wide open. Reissued here in a 20th anniversary remaster with full instrumental versions, it captures the group in peak form: tight, defiant and dripping with groove. From the snarling funk of 'My Man is a Mean Man' to the gospel-inflected ache of 'Stranded' and the rolling swagger of 'You're Gonna Get It', every track is a showcase for Jones' irrepressible power. 'How Long Do I Have to Wait For You?' and 'This Land is Your Land' still hit like soul standards, while 'Fish in My Dish' and 'Your Thing is a Drag' lean into grit and grind. The instrumentals only deepen the appreciation: pure rhythm section muscle. Recorded in Bushwick's now-legendary House of Soul, it's the record that built the Daptone soundiand lit the fuse for a soul revival that still resonates today.