I Learned The Hard Way

Vinyl: I had originally purchased this as MP3 and was very pleased to see "I Learned The Hard Way" offered on AmazonPrime at a really great price. This just may be my favorite Sharon Jones album, maybe my favorite Daptone album in general. If you have been thinking about purchasing a Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings album, this is a great place to start - but they are all good. This is an album that does sound better on vinyl, the separation of the stereo mix just sounds sharper and bolder...horns in one speaker, guitars on the other, that old-school way of production. This is the real deal, a heartfelt, soulful platter of modern yet classic American R&B. RIP Sharon Jones.

I happened to hear this in a record store some years ago and finally purchased this from amazon. When I first heard it in the record store i recall a sound of great sounding soul music, strong female vocals, with what sounded like the band for the late Amy Winehouse. After I got it and played it, I was even more blown away at how great it really sounded. There are so many artists that I hear in other places, like at a record store, someone's car, the department store, that don't necessarily carry the same feel when I get a copy of the CD personally and hear it at home. This one did. I loved it so much I want to get all her CDs. She has an amazing voice. I love the vintage vibe with the mixing. I love how things take you back to an era where the music enhances the singer.

Sharon Jones was just so overwhelmingly powerful and incredible. Lord save us that she died so early. And with the DapKings behind her. Unbelievable. Buy this CD if you haven't already.

Sharon Jones has learned the hard way. A personal life and musical career that are living mirrors of steady struggle to overturn derision, indecision and indifference, are the mere tip of what the title refers to.The charismatic Georgia native has come a very long way from the harsh rejection she endured 25 years ago on her first audition for a music executive. With help of Dap Kings bassist and founder Bosco Man (Gabriel Roth) she was given a chance to prove there is nothing is more satisfying like the triumph of the underdog.I Learned The Hard Way was recorded on eight-track machine, providing it with a genuine "old school" sound. Not that they needed it: since the spanking debut Dap Dippin (2002) they have relished in their undocumented marriage with soul music, without adding any more labels than the signature Dap Kings signature music and Sharon's exuding talent.There are love-themed stories (practically every other track in the record), the search for acceptance (Mama don't like my man), even a nod to economic recession and the emptiness of making the green stuff a goal in life (Money). Saying that SJATDK's music is timeless is redundant: if what they sing is "soul music" then soul is what we will get. Ms. Jones delivers every track with enough emotion and conviction to destroy any doubts about the relevance of such genre these days, when the instrument of choice are voice altering machines.Do not be put off by the length of this record. If thirty-eight minutes seem like nothing think again; by the time the last notes of the closing song fade out there is no other alternative than hit the play button again and enjoy it all over.When I met Sharon last December after her show in New Jersey, she made up what she lacked in height with humbleness and energy. She may be a star and not even know it, she may have already reached the pinnacle others aspire to without even wanting it, but one thing is real and that is her perennial quality.At this point critics are wetting themselves with this record, but it is the new acolytes the ones who will be kindly surprised to hear the familiar - and not yet defunct - sounds that built what is broadcast on mainstream media today. There is no denying they are here to stay. Welcome back in the spotlight, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

Came flawless and completed my Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings collection on vinyl. We lost Sharon all too soon. But damn- that woman could sing.Vinyl came with no flaws. Packaged securely. On time.

A unique flow. I enjoy the throwback sound of the early Motown/Gordy artists like the Marvelettes or Martha and The Vandellas. The song from the title I Learned The Hard Way is a cautionary tale of young love. Each song is a story we all heard or lived at some point.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings are the band of the millenium! There, I've said it. No cornball retro joke, they're the real thing. From the keyboard/rhythm guitar interplay a la Booker T. and Steve Cropper, to the authentic horn charts and thirteen fantastic compositions right in the traditional pocket. And Sharon--umm umm! She's become the equal to Aretha in her powerhouse 70's prime. Highlights include "Money" (boy does that ring true these days)and "She Ain't A Child No More" with the classic bass intro. Also the opener, "The Game Gets Old". Production is kept simple, and right in the 60's fashion. Great cover shot, too.Only one flaw-I'd love about twice as many songs for my money. But ITunes has a half-hour radio concert from 2007,on one of their free podcasts. (KEXP At The Triple Door). I think Spinner still has a live video, too. But GET THIS ALBUM NOW!

Arrived fast. Exactly as pictured

This is a fantastic album. Real musical talent. A 21st century take on that traditional 60s 70s soul vibe. The playing is superb Sharon's vocals are sublime. The production sounds so authentic. No over production- we can hear each instrument and each voice. No excessive bass or dodgy weedy vocals buried in the mix. This is the real deal. A terrific album. Shaon's passing is a sad loss to music.

Previous reviewers have detailed the content and doubtless some people will always question the validity of the Daptone worldview, where it's forever 1969, so I'll simply note that this is Sharon Jones' best album yet; she's eased back on the funk workouts and concentrated more on her peerless soul balladeering, and tracks like 'If You Call' equal anything which came out on Hi, Stax, TK, Goldwax or other legendary labels during the golden age of Southern soul.

I have been buying classic soul records since the late 1960s and to be honest this singer and group take me back to a time when excellent lyrics, strong vocal delivery and tight instrumentation were typical of the club scene. Shut your eyes, turn the volume up high and enjoy! Brilliant sound. Recommended to anyone who loves Atlantic, Stax and Tamla!

Great LP From The Late Great Sharon Jones

very good