Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In)

by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Sharon Jones

Overview

One of the realities of the music business is that when an artist with a degree of popularity dies, you can count on plenty of their rare and unreleased sides getting repackaged for public consumption once their obituary puts their name back in the news. Thankfully, Daptone Records has been dignified and choosy in mining its vaults for unheard (or underheard) tracks from their flagship artist, vocalist Sharon Jones, who lost her life to cancer in 2016. The 2021 collection Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In) is only the second posthumous release from the retro-soul diva, following 2017's Soul of a Woman, recorded shortly before her death. The fact this LP collects 13 covers will probably make a few casual observers imagine these are mostly throwaway tracks, but one listen confirms that's not at all the case. Jones and her band the Dap-Kings recorded most of these tracks either for tribute albums or film soundtracks (in the case of their remake of Gladys Knight's "Giving Up," Jones and her band were commissioned to record the song so it could be sampled for a hip-hop track). Though a few clearly follow the blueprint of their originals (such as the opener, Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours"), on most of the others they bring new thinking and new life to the tunes. They turn Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done for Me Lately" and Prince's "Take Me with U" into lean, soulful, and organic grooves that recall late-'60s James Brown, Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" is infused with a defiance and flinty passion that reminds you Guthrie intended it to be a leftist response to "God Bless America," and they strip Musique's "In the Bush" of its glossy disco affectations while maintaining its powerhouse dance groove and unsubtle sexual innuendo. Their interpretation of "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" is actually a cover of a cover, modeled not on the hit recording by Kenny Rogers & the First Edition but after Bettye Lavette's 1968 take on the tune. On every track, Jones demonstrates she was a masterful soul singer, passionate and expressive but never over-the-top, and the Dap-Kings have top-shelf chops and a genius for dynamic, full-bodied arrangements. When most artists are commissioned to record a cover, the results often sound professional but short on inspiration. Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In) demonstrates Sharon Jones gave 150 percent every time she stepped up to the microphone, regardless of the circumstances, and this album is a testament to her great talent as well as her gift for putting her own stamp on any song she chose to try on for size. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	02/05/2021
Label:	Daptone
UPC:	0823134906617
Rank:	59834

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings   Primary Artist
Sharon Jones   Primary Artist,Vocals (Background)
Saundra Williams   Vocals (Background)
Joel Katz   Vocals (Background)
Jordan McLean   Trumpet
Brian Floody   Timpani
Mikey Post   Tambourine
Starr Duncan   Vocals (Background)
The Bushwick Philharmonic   Strings

Technical Credits

Patrick Adams   Composer
Ian Hendrickson-Smith   Group Member
Bosco Mann   Group Member
Terry Lewis   Composer
Gabriel Roth   Mixing,Engineer
Carl William Smith   Composer
Eddie Gin   Composer
Fontella Bass   Composer
Lee Garrett   Composer
Janet Jackson   Composer
Van McCoy   Composer
Lula Mae Hardaway   Composer
Prince   Composer
Cochemea Gastelum   Group Member
Raynard Miner   Composer
Mickey Newbury   Composer
Buddy Kaye   Composer
Victor Axelrod   Group Member
Woody Guthrie   Composer
Stevie Wonder   Composer
Binky Griptite   Group Member
Martin Perna   Group Member
William Robinson   Composer
Neal Sugarman   Group Member
Homer Steinweiss   Group Member
Syreeta Wright   Composer
Shuggie Otis   Composer
James Harris III   Composer
Beatrice Verdi   Composer
Dave Guy   Group Member
Leon Michels   Group Member
Thomas Brenneck   Group Member
Fernando Velez   Group Member
Sandra Cooper   Composer
Junior Braithwaite   Composer
Anda Szilagyi   Group Member
Jacob Blickenstaff   Photography
Dulce Pinzon   Photography
Ann Coombs   Art Direction
Moon Bancs   Liner Notes
Wayne Gordon   Assistant
JJ Golden   Mastering
Kyle Dean Reinford   Photography
Joe Crispiano   Group Member
Arthur Lane   Composer
Laura Hanifin   Photography
Simon Guzman   Assistant
Daniel Gneiding   Lettering,Art Direction
Sugarman & Roth   Executive Producer
Sarah Fanning   Photography