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The hard-shouting attack of Sharon Jones has always been a welcome antidote to all the mellow schmaltz that gets called soul music today. Too bad her Daptone work has always been limited by the compositions and arrangements of producer Gabriel Roth, who seemed interested in nothing but James Brown-style funk. Happily, Roth’s thrown out the JB funk rule book this time. On Naturally, he explores a much broader range of rhythms and sonic textures, allowing Jones to show off her range throughout a stylistically varied set that seamlessly swings from Afrobeat to Miami-style soul to strutting New Orleans R&B, and even has some bluesy doo-wop balladry. That’s more like it.
