Soul vocalist Sharon Jones ready to return to music - Los Angeles Times
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Soul vocalist Sharon Jones ready to return to music

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After a cancer diagnosis forced Sharon Jones to postpone an album and tour earlier this year, the vocalist of the Dap-Kings soul ensemble is prepping her return to music.

The group’s sixth album, “Give the People What They Want,” will arrive Jan. 14 via Daptone Records, according to a release issued on the band’s website Wednesday.

Originally set for release Aug. 6, the album was postponed after Jones was diagnosed with Stage 1 bile duct cancer in June.

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After being forced to shutter a string of dates and festival appearances due to her illness, Jones and the Dap-Kings also announced plans for their first show in nearly a year, with a gig at New York’s Beacon Theater on Feb. 6.

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Because of early diagnosis, her illness hadn’t spread, but it did require surgery. The 57-year-old soul singer updated fans of her progress with upbeat messages and photos on Facebook.

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An operation in June was successful. However, doctors recommended she begin a six-month course of preventative chemotherapy, which she started in August.

“I wish I could say its been a breeze, but this is looking to be the most challenging part yet,” she wrote to her fans on Facebook. She later joked that she finally fit in with the bald members of her band when she uploaded a picture free of her signature twisted locks.

“The entire Daptone Family is overjoyed and inspired to see Sharon’s recovery,” the Dap-Kings’ bassist and bandleader Bosco Mann wrote in a statement. “Without a doubt, this album is the greatest thing we’ve ever recorded and I’ve been anxious for the world to hear it. Everything will culminate in February at the Beacon. That moment when Sharon walks out to join us on stage again is going to be insane.”

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Revered for her powerhouse vocals and fiery live shows, Jones and the Dap-Kings helped usher in a movement of soul-funk revivalists. Their first album was released in 2002, and the band also won acclaim for backing Amy Winehouse on her heralded 2006 breakout album, “Back to Black.”

To mark the return, Jones and the Dap-Kings premiered a brilliantly animated video for their ferocious stomper of a single, “Retreat!.”

Watch the video for “Retreat!” below:

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