Daptone Records will put out a 20th anniversary reissue of the album Naturally by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. It arrives May 2. A new vinyl pressing will consist of a remastered 2xLP version that includes instrumentals for all tracks. In addition to the standard black LP, the indie retail exclusive variant includes opaque orange color vinyl and the Daptone shop exclusive variant includes clear vinyl with orange splatter.
2005’s Naturally has sold over 200,000 copies, with singles “How Long Do I Have to Wait” and “This Land is Your Land” streaming in the hundreds of millions—unusual figures for an independent release. It was also the genesis for the Dap-Kings’ collaboration with Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse.
Preorder/Presave Naturally HERE
Recording for Naturally began in 2004 and was the first Daptone session at the "House of Soul”—a recording studio hand built by Sharon and the rest of the Daptone family in a two story rental in Bushwick, Brooklyn. (Sharon famously tackled much of the electrical wiring herself.)
Looking back on the sessions, Gabe Roth reflects on some tracks on the album in a press release:
Fish in my Dish
"I remember showing Sharon some song that she really wasn’t into. We needed something else for the record fast. I knew she couldn’t say no to a song about fishing, so I went upstairs to the kitchen above the studio and scribbled this one out. Came down and showed her on the piano and it was the quickest I ever saw her get into a tune. She loved singing that song. People often read into every song as a metaphor for a man, but this one is really just about how happy fishing made her. That’s Stuart Bogie from Antibalas on the jaw harp in the outro."
This Land is Your Land
"Everybody knows this as a patriotic campfire children’s song, but when it was originally written by Woody Guthrie it was a pretty biting commentary on the inequalities of our country. We rarely hear more than the first two starry-eyed verses about the Redwood Forest and “golden skyways.” It was my sister’s idea to cover it and bring back the later stanzas to reclaim the original meaning of the song. The arrangement was inspired by the Dyke & The Blazers stuff we were wearing out at the time. An iconic Dave Guy solo. Sharon shouts out Staten Island for Tommy, and Riverside, California for me. The song was featured in the intro of a movie, “Up in the Air.”
How Long Do I Have to Wait for You
"This song, originally inspired by waiting for Binky to show up for a session, has become possibly our most well known song. I’m always amazed that people are still streaming and discovering it. This track starts with Homer’s most legendary drum break, heavily inspired by one of his heroes, New Orleans’ James Black. Also features another memorable Dave Guy solo, which seems to be a theme of our biggest tunes."
Stranded (Featuring Lee Fields)
"My first car was a not-so-dependable ‘75 Oldsmobile that left me stranded more times than I can count. Sharon and Lee always lit up when they had a chance to sing together. She loved singing with him so much. They seemed to lift each other to another level. It gave her a chance to show off how naturally she fell into harmonies. The Bushwick Philharmonic really shines on this one, trading lines with the Dap-Kings horns."
Offers for late night TV soon followed, and as Roth recalls:
“I think Conan was our first TV show. We did ‘How Long.’ I remember 6’4” Conan towering over Sharon at a mere 4’11”, but she was shining. We were the first band to have him hold up an LP instead of a CD. Then we did Letterman. He kept the studio fucking FREEZING so his guests wouldn’t fall asleep. It was taped, but Letterman famously never allowed re-do’s. Sharon messed up a lyric and told him flatly we were gonna do it again. It didn't matter where we were, she always seemed bigger than everybody else in the room.”
TRACK LISTING (LP ONE ORIGINAL, LP TWO ALL INSTRUMENTAL)
1. HOW DO I LET A GOOD MAN DOWN?
2. NATURAL BORN LOVER
3. STRANDED IN YOUR LOVE (Featuring LEE FIELDS)
4. MY MAN IS A MEAN MAN
5. YOU’RE GONNA GET IT
6. HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WAIT FOR YOU?
7. THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
8. YOUR THING IS A DRAG
9. FISH IN THE DISH
10. ALL OVER AGAIN
