In a world where record labels are considered obsolete because only streaming companies make money with recorded music anymore, Daptone Records is quite unique. In 2001 Gabe Roth and Neal Sugarman bought an old house in the Bushwick neighborhood of New York City and turned it into a full analog recording studio. Tape and circuitry took the place of ones and zeros, and Daptone Records built their label off selling a steady stream of 45 singles. Daptone found success with Harlem-born singer Sharon Jones, but what really put them on the map was recording and providing the back up band for Amy Winehouse’s hit album Back to Black in 2006.
Fairly unknown to the general public, Daptone’s style and sound has had a profound effect on pop music, influencing everyone from the Roots’ Questlove to the Black Pumas and Sonic Silk. In recent years Daptone has been branching out into doo-wop and Chicano rock and that’s where Thee Sacred Souls come in. Started by drummer/songwriter Alex Garcia and bassist/songwriter Sal Samano, the duo combined their Latin influences with singer Josh Lane’s love for old soul. Their debut album, released on August 26, was produced by Daptone honcho Gabe Roth.
Opener Can I Call You Rose is a soul ballad in the classic sense of the word. Sounding almost like a time capsule or a forgotten track from the Stax label, unfortunately the lyrics barely manage to stay on this side of cringe-worthy (“Can I call you Rose? /‘Cause your fragrance fills the room.”)
Every other track more or less follows the same tried-and-true formula. Buttery drums, splashy guitars and crunchy bass provide the perfect accompaniment for Josh Lane’s silky smooth vocals. The topic: love, in all its incarnations. Unrequited love, the ecstasy of finding love, the courage to love…love! A Trade of Hearts is a song of longing and desire, cleverly comparing the game of courtship to a game of cards. Weak for Your Love is a Burt Bacharach-like ballad, while on closer Love comes Easy Lane deftly invokes Smokey Robinson’s sensual crooning, world-wise, seductive, and thoroughly romantic.
I like this album. What’s not to like? It’s a perfect re-creation of classic doo-wop soul, lovingly played and recorded with Daptone’s legendary flair for coaxing analog goodness out of their vintage gear. But honestly, I expect more from a new artist. After all, what made the classic soul records of the 60s and 70s so timeless is their ability to build on what came before, and stitch together a fresh new sound from various influences. Sadly, no such adventurousness can be found on this album.
You could certainly make the case that in this day and age a release that lovingly pays homage to America’s great multi-cultural traditions makes a strong statement simply by existing. Yet this reviewer can’t help but feel that with global warming, rising inequality and authoritarianism, a song comparing your lover to a rose may seem a bit…irrelevant?
But it’s certainly fun to listen to.
