This woman is an unstoppable force! With her unbridled energy, boundless spirit and friendly sass, soul dynamo Sharon Jones is the ultimate R&B show-woman. Plus she’s got a powerful, passionate and rangy voice. Her performance Tuesday at the Pantages Theatre reinforced why she is Soul Sister No. 1.

While she was terrific, her Dap-Kings didn’t sound as impressive as they did at the State Fair this summer or First Avenue last year. Their sound was muted and muddy, mixed in such a way that Jones’ voice was front and center. But when she wasn’t onstage, their sound left something to be desired.

Speaking of leaving something to be desired, what’s with the shy guys who get up onstage to dance with Jones and turn into stoic statues? Two of the four guys (and all of the women invited onstage) could move to the music but the other two guys were stiffs.

Although I was disappointed that Jones didn’t do her killer version of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” she did a monstrous interpretation of Sam Cooke’s “Change Is Gonna Come” as a duet with Charles Bradley. Loved when he fell to his knees singing and she was already down on her knees and they then shared the same mic on the chorus. His guttural growl and piercing scream perfectly complemented her raw, emotional voice. Good Gawd!

Opening was the Menahan Street Band, a soul jam band featuring members of the Dap-Kings in their street clothes instead of their usual Dapalicious suits. Bradley sang a couple of numbers with them.

What did you think of the show? How did it compare to other Jones & Dap-Kings performances you’ve seen? Please post your comments here:

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 at 1:47 am and is filed under Concerts, Main. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.