Daptone Gold

You can always tell when a project’s been born out of love. In the case of Bushwick indie label Daptone Records, its founders’ abiding passion for golden soul and funk comes through on every record: via the old-fashioned sleeve notes, the perfectly ’60s-style design and, of course, the music itself. All Daptone releases are cut on analog equipment, and that warm, slightly scuffed feel is exactly the reason the label’s sound has been co-opted by Al Green and Mark Ronson.

No surprise, then, that Daptone’s first retrospective is a pretty gorgeous affair. If you’re into great old soul music, you’re likely a vinyl lover; fittingly, the LP version of Daptone Gold trumps its CD counterpart hands down. Along with a gold-foil-embossed gatefold jacket, you get a poster, a sparkly sticker and a coupon for MP3 downloads of all of the tracks.

Kicking off with a spoken-word introduction from Binky Griptite (“Greetings, soul fans!”), the collection features hits and rarities, going back to Daptone’s initial release from 2002: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings’ “Got a Thing on My Mind.” Other highlights include Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens’ righteous “What Have You Done, My Brother?”; a cut from baby-faced soul veteran Lee Fields called “Could’ve Been,” which plays like an aching update on Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”; and the Budos Band’s jittery instrumental “Up from the South.” Twenty-four-karat soul, for sure.—Sophie Harris

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