''I Learned the Hard Way'' is the fourth
studio album by American
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
and
funk band
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were an American funk and soul band signed to Daptone Records. They were part of a revival movement of mid-1960s to mid-1970s style funk and soul music. They released their debut album ''Dap Dippin in 2002, the firs ...
, released April 6, 2010 on
Daptone Records. Production for the album took place at the label's House of Soul Studios during 2009 to 2010 and was handled by Daptone co-founder
Gabriel Roth, credited for the album as "Bosco Mann". The album debuted at number 15 on the US
''Billboard'' 200, selling 23,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, ''I Learned the Hard Way'' received generally positive reviews from most music critics.
Release and promotion
The album was released by
Daptone Records on
CD,
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
,
MP3
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
, and
FLAC formats. The vinyl LP release includes a code for a free MP3 download of the whole album from the Daptone Records website. This digital version includes an exclusive bonus track, "When I Come Home." This song was later available as a 7" single. Three of the major digital music stores — the
iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
,
Amazon MP3
Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights m ...
, and
eMusic
eMusic is an online music and audiobook store that operates by subscription. In exchange for a monthly subscription eMusic users can download a fixed number of MP3 tracks per month. eMusic was established in 1998, is headquartered in New York C ...
— each had their own exclusive bonus track.
Critical reception
''I Learned the Hard Way'' received positive reviews from most
music critics. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
score of 81, based on 30 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".
[''I Learned the Hard Way''](_blank)
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. Critics praised Jones' maturing voice and The Dap-Kings soulful musicianship on the album.
[Burns, Zeenat]
April’s Best New Music
Metacritic
Archived
on 2010-05-02. Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
writer
Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it 4 out of 5 stars and praised the band's incorporation of regional soul music styles, writing that it delivers "songs that swagger and stir the soul, fitting within tradition without being beholden to it".
[Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way'' ]Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
''s Whitney Pastorek complimented Jones's singing on the album.
[Pastorek, Whitney]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
''. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
''s Siddhartha Mitter stated "The band is superb, and Jones ... sings of hard times, infidelity, and other life lessons with total authority".
[Mitter, Siddhartha]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
''The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
''. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. Richard Trapunski of ''
NOW
Now most commonly refers
to the present time.
Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to:
Organizations
* Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization
* National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization
* Now ...
'' gave the album a 4/5 rating and commended its musical style, stating "Shifting between Philly soul and James Brown funk, the heavyweight horn section provides a suitable backdrop".
[Trapunski, Richard]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
''NOW
Now most commonly refers
to the present time.
Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to:
Organizations
* Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization
* National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization
* Now ...
''. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. ''
Boston Phoenix
''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the ''Portland Phoenix'' an ...
'' writer Jeff Tamarkin gave it 4 out of 4 stars and praised their "commitment to retro soul", but wrote "they never leave the impression that they’re trying to recapture past glory. This music just feels right on them, and in its own way contemporary".
[Tamarkin, Jeff]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
''Boston Phoenix
''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the ''Portland Phoenix'' an ...
''. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
''s Noel Murray complimented its incorporation of "
Motown sound
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...
" influences, writing that Jones and the Dap-Kings apply "grandeur and polish to what used to be called '
race music
African-American music is an umbrella term covering a diverse range of music and musical genres largely developed by African Americans and their culture. Their origins are in musical forms that first came to be due to the condition of slavery ...
'".
[Murray, Noel]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
''. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''s Sarah Godfrey lauded the band's "vintage" sound and wrote that it "is so entrenched in retro soul that it creates, rather than emulates, '60s sounds".
[Godfrey, Sarah]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
''. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. Delusions of Adequacy writer Bryan Sanchez called the album "a beautiful representation of what real, honest and true soul music really is".
[Sanchez, Bryan]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
Delusions of Adequacy. Retrieved on 2010-04-20.
However, some critics viewed the album's material as unvarying to the band's previous work and expressed a mixed response towards its vintage soul style and sound.
''
Q'' gave the album 3 out of 5 stars and found it "no better than a genuine, crackly, long-forgotten B-side or buried album track that a specialist reissue label might have unearthed".
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
''s Jody Rosen called its musical detail "period-perfect" and commended Jones's vocal ability, but ultimately viewed that "Jones sings with force and feeling, but there's only so much she can do to breathe life into music so in thrall to the past".
[Rosen, Jody]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
''. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''s Dave Simpson gave the album 3 out of 5 stars and called it "almost comically textbook at times, but made with love".
[Simpson, Dave]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''. Retrieved on 2010-04-23. Jonathan Keefe of
Slant Magazine perceived a lack of "risk" in the band's musical style, but stated "Even if the album is stagnant from an artistic point of view, Jones and the DAP-Kings really do their damnedest to make it seem fresh".
[Keefe, Jonathan]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. In contrast, Nate Chinen of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' expressed that the album "sustains more of a plaintive air, with songs about eroded trust, exasperated patience and wounded indignation".
[Chinen, Nate]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. Lindsey Thomas of ''
Spin'' commended Jones's "brassy" style on the album and called the Dap-Kings "tight and energetic as ever".
[Thomas, Lindsey]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
'' Spin''. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. Steve Jones of ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
'' gave the album 3 out of 4 stars and stated "The singer's raw intensity and the band's propulsive energy make satisfaction guaranteed".
[Jones, Steve]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
''USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
''. Retrieved on 2010-04-20.
''
URB''s Svein Brunstad wrote that Jones's voice "keeps getting stronger in her '50s, echoing the raw power of
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...
, the moaning soulfulness of
Mavis Staples and the rhythmic swagger of
James Brown".
[Brunstad, Svein]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
. URB''. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. Viewing it as "a singer's record", Matthew Fiander of
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
noted Jones's progression in her vocal performance and viewed that it contributes to the album's distinctiveness, stating "Jones peels back her fire just enough to emote in quieter ways. As a result, this album—perhaps better than its three predecessors—shows her as an immensely talented singer with a genius eye for how to shape a phrase, how to pull the most out of each word".
[Fiander, Matthew]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'' writer
Greg Kot
Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...
compared its arrangements to "'60s Motown and horn-spackled
Stax
Streaming API for XML (StAX) is an application programming interface ( API) to read and write XML documents, originating from the Java programming language community.
Traditionally, XML APIs are either:
* DOM based - the entire document is read i ...
" and complimented Jones's vocal range, stating "Jones' voices veers from an agitated rasp to a vulnerable falsetto, sometimes in the space of a line or two. All the while, she gives the impression of conversing with the listener, whether dispensing a little advice or dishing on a straying lover ... The you-are-there intimacy is Jones’ great gift as a communicator, the reason every one of these songs feels fresh, rather than merely a retro exercise".
[Kot, Greg]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
''Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
''. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. Brian Richardson of
Tiny Mix Tapes
''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...
commended Jones's vocal "articulation,
phrasing, and ornamentation" as "confident and varied, allowing her to sound powerful without being histrionic".
Richardson wrote that the Dap-Kings "match her authoritative readings with taut arrangements, outstanding contrapuntal work within the rhythm section, and lavish horn, organ, and string parts".
[Richardson, Brian]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
Tiny Mix Tapes
''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...
. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
's Joe Tangari praised the band's "attention to detail" and called the album "a varied and well-sequenced work".
[Tangari, Joe]
Review: ''I Learned the Hard Way''
Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
. Retrieved on 2010-04-20.
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 15 on the US
''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 23,000 copies. In Canada, it entered at number 22, its peak position,
[ Chart History - Canadian Albums: Sharon Jones '' Billboard''. Retrieved on 2010-04-20.] on the
Top 100 Albums chart.
Albums: Top 100 - For the Week Ending 11 April, 2010
Jam!. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. It debuted at number 84 on the French Albums Chart
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
,[Le Classement des Albums Nouveautés - Semaine du 05/04/2010 au 11/04/2010](_blank)
Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. at number 34 in Austria,[Album Performance: ''I Learned the Hard Way''](_blank)
acharts. Retrieved on 2010-04-10. and at number 19 on Norway's VG-lista Top 40 chart.[Top 40 Albums Week 15, 2010](_blank)
VG-lista
VG-lista is a Norwegian record chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide chart ...
. Retrieved on 2010-04-20. In the Netherlands, the album debuted at number 32 on the Mega Album Top 100
The Dutch Album Top 100 or Album Top 100 is a weekly hit list of music albums, compiled by Dutch Charts. List shows the 100 best-selling music albums of the moment in the Netherlands. The list has passed through various name changes and has expand ...
chart.[Mega Album Top 100 - 17/04/2010](_blank)
MegaCharts. Retrieved on 2010-04-20.
Track listing
Bonus tracks
Note
*Excluding "Call on God", the retailer-specific bonus tracks were later released on the 2011 compilation '' Soul Time!''.
Personnel
Musicians
* Sharon Jones – vocals
*The Dap-Kings
**Thomas Brenneck
Thomas "Tommy" Brenneck is an American guitarist, record producer, and engineer. He became known as the leader of the Menahan Street Band and a member of The Budos Band, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, and El Michels Affair. He is the founder of ...
– guitars, piano
**Binky Griptite
Franklin Stribling, professionally known as Binky Griptite, is an American guitarist, record producer, and radio DJ. He is best known as a founding member and guitarist of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Soul Providers, and Antibalas, among other ...
– guitars, bass
**Dave Guy
Dave Guy is an American trumpet player and member of The Dap-Kings. Over his more than two decade career, he has been part of the groups Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Menahan Street Band, The Budos Band, and Lee Fields & The Expressions, among ot ...
– trumpet
**Ian Hendrickson-Smith
Ian Hendrickson-Smith is an American jazz saxophonist. He is best known for being a former member of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings from 2004 to 2010 and playing with The Roots on ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon''.
Early life
Hendrickson-S ...
– baritone saxophone, flute
**Bosco Mann
Gabriel Roth (born August 17, 1974), also known as Bosco Mann among other aliases, is an American record producer, musician, and co-founder of Daptone Records. He is best known as the bandleader, bass player, primary songwriter, and producer o ...
– bass
**Homer Steinweiss
Homer Steinweiss is an American drummer, songwriter, and producer known as a prominent drummer in the New York soul revival scene. He is a founding member and drummer of groups including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Lee Fields & The Expression ...
– drums
**Neal Sugarman – tenor saxophone
**Fernando "Boogaloo" Velez – bongos, congas, tambourine
Additional musicians
* Victor Axelrod
Victor Axelrod is an American musician, producer, and audio engineer from Brooklyn, New York. Since the mid-1990s, he has worked primarily in the genres of reggae, Afrobeat and soul, recording and producing under his own name and using the alias ...
– piano, organ
* Moon Bancs – marching snare
* Cosmo Bann – guitars
* AnGee Blake – background vocals
* Sam Boncon – piano, clavinet
* Chris Cardona – violin
* Amos B. Conn – string arrangement (tracks 1, 2, 11)
* Nydia Davila – soul claps
* Eric Davis – French horns
* El Deuvo – cabasa
* Brian Floody – timpani
* Cochemea Gastelum – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
* Wayne Gordon – soul claps
* Jimmy Hill – organ
* Aaron Johnson – trombones
* Alex Kadvan – cello
* Kevin C. Keys – background vocals
* Matthew Lehmann – violin
* Michael Leonhart – trumpet
* Leon Michels
Leon Marcus Michels is an American music producer, record executive, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist best known as the leader of the eclectic soul project El Michels Affair and co-founder of Truth & Soul Records and Big Crown Records. H ...
– tenor saxophone
* Toby Pazner – vibraphone, glockenspiel
* Mikey Post – soul claps
* Boom Boom Romero – drums
* Antoine Silverman – violin, string arrangement (tracks 4, 7)
* Daisy Sugarman – flute
* Entcho Todorov – violin
* Saundra Williams – background vocals
* Anja Wood – cello
* The Bushwick Callers – background vocals (track 5)
Charts
References
External links
*
*
I Learned the Hard Way
' at Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...
*
I Learned the Hard Way
' at Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:I Learned The Hard Way
2010 albums
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings albums
Daptone Records albums