Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings: 100 Days, 100 Nights

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings channeled James Brown on their first album and Fela Kuti on their second, and continue to extend their mastery of retro R&B on album number three, 100 Days, 100 Nights. This time, the band dabbles in slow-simmering gospel, and while 100 Days, 100 Nights doesn't pop with sweaty passion like The Dap-Kings' more memorable work, the record retains a ripped-from-the-past vibe that's astonishing in and of itself. Songs like the title track, "Tell Me," and "Something's Changed" don't just sound like they've been lost in the Stax vault for the last 40 years; they sound like they've matured in isolation, developing flavors that didn't exist in 1967.