(Daptone) www.daptonerecords.com

With poor Amy Winehouse out of commission, the brunt of R&B’s not-so-nouvelle revitalization is left in the capable hands of this Brooklyn label. So make no mistake: leave no Daptone stone unturned. The funky stuff’s a fickle mistress and you never know when it’ll get too sick to kick. That said, Sharon Jones and her Dap-Kings didn’t need Winehouse to drop out to rule soul’s new old roost. And a nearly-lost single of Jones’s Dap-y cover of Kenny Rogers's “I Just Dropped In to See What Condition My Condition Was In” is raw silken proof of guts and sultriness. There’s a whole lot of moody, bluesy Charles Bradley to be found too. Lucky us, for his and The Bullets’ “This Love Ain't Big Enough for the Two of Us” and “(She's Got) Twilight Eyes” may be rare – but they’re such obvious necessities for any soulster’s collection it makes my hands shake thinking they were lost for a sec.

Standout Tracks: “Stand Up” (Lee Fields and The Sugarman 3); “Che Che Cole” (Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra) A.D. AMOROSI