Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Sharon Jones Edition

Let’s give a shout out to a soul shouter who is at the forefront of reviving classic R & B sounds. Sharon Jones was far from an overnight success, doing backing vocals on records in the ’70s, while keeping people and things safe, as a security guard for an armored car company and a corrections officer as the notorious Rikers Island. It wasn’t until she the late ’90s that she began to grab some attention, and in the new century, she released the first album on the Daptone Records label, with, of course, The Dap-Tones. Jones’s story is a testament to both her talent and perseverance. And she is still making great records and playing great shows. Let’s pay tribute to Sharon by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.

1. They Might Be Giants — I Palindrome I (Apollo 18): A fairly typical slice of clever from the pen of John Linnell. This was the last TMBG album before they got a band, and it wasn’t as consistent as the prior efforts, but it has a lot of good songs. My favorite thing on this track is John Flahsburgh’s “man o nam” backing vocals in the chorus.
2. Adam Schmitt — Speed Kills (Yellow Pills, Volume 1): Schmitt released to major label LPs out of his Champaign, IL home base, and both were driving power pop. This outtake is just as good as anything on those two albums. Schmitt combines a classic Dwight Twilley vibe with a bit of a harder guitar edge that Cheap Trick fans would enjoy. His music is slick, but not too slick.
3. Jackie DeShannon — Lifetime of Loneliness (What The World Needs Now Is…Jackie DeShannon: The Definitive Collection): DeShannon is a somewhat forgotten figure nowadays, but she was a pop singer somewhat in the mold of Dusty Springfield, straddling the fence between girl group and more sophisticated pop, which is perfectly captured on this tune.
4. The Kinks — Days (Did Ya): This is a ’90s recording of the classic Kinks single from the mid-‘60s. Not sure why Ray Davies felt compelled to redo this tune, but it’s a strong rendition, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
5. Slant 6 — Don’t Censor Me (Soda Pop Rip Off): One of my favorite Dischord releases. This female post-punk band mixed surf rock with Wire’s angularity with cool declamatory vocals. This is one of the best tracks, which is short and punchy, with just enough melody.
6. David Garrick & The Dandy — World (Maybe Someone Is Digging Underground): This is from a collection of lesser known Bee Gees covers. Garrick was a British stage actor of some renown, doing an appropriately dramatic rendition before a live audience. Garrick sings in a deeper register than Barry Gibb and adds a lot of vibrato. This collection is further proof of how great the Gibbs were as songwriters, as if further such evidence was needed.
7. The Reducers — Closing Time (Redux): This Rhode Island band once waxed a song called “Pub Rockin’”, which comes close to describing their sound. They played a harder edge version of power pop that isn’t too far removed from bands like Eddie and the Hot Rods, who were precursors to punk in England. They have a number of songs like this one that an enterprising young garage band would be well advised to cover, with strong guitar parts and a hooky chorus.
8. Merle Haggard — The Legend Of Bonnie & Clyde (Down Every Road: 1962-1994): Surely an artist of the stature of Merle Haggard wouldn’t try to cash in on the surprise hit Warren Beatty-Faye Dunaway classic movie? Well, in fact he did, on a pretty solid story song ballad. I cannot vouch for the historical accuracy of this song.
9. The Move — Flowers In The Rain (BBC Sessions): This version is a bit thinner than the studio recording, which makes sense, but it showcases the skill of the band and how wonderful this flower power track is (Roy Wood was such a great writer). One of the things about The Move that I find most interesting is that Carl Wayne and Roy Wood don’t sound exactly alike, but they could easily sing each other’s parts and lot of folks wouldn’t have noticed.
10. Plush — So Much Music (Bright Penny): A slice of ’70s style R & B inflected pop from Chicago’s very own Liam Hayes. As he has gone along, his music has sounded more and more like it was made for AM radio stations that no longer exist. This is probably why he is a cult artist, but pure, unabashed pop is his strength. Great tune.