Sharon Jones wrote "Call on God" in the late 1970’s for E.L. Fields' Gospel Wonders, a choir she sang with throughout most of her life at the Universal Church of God in New York City.
This original recording with the Dap-Kings dates to early 2007 during sessions for the album 100 Days,100 Nights. Just like on the song "Answer Me" from that album, Sharon played all the piano and sang her parts live with the band, providing very specific direction of exactly how she wanted the music to sound. Though she always provided input on all her songs, it wasn’t common for Sharon to take full charge of the arrangements like she did on these two gospel tracks. It was so inspiring for the band that they made a pact to record an entire gospel album with her at the helm. "Call on God" was put aside to be included on that eventual gospel album - but sadly, the project was never completed.
Watch the video for 'Call on God'
On December 18th, 2016, Pastor Margot Fields, E.L.'s widow, presided over Sharon's memorial service in Brooklyn which was attended by several of the original members of the Gospel Wonders who had come in from different parts of the country to help celebrate Sharon's life. Together again, they performed a moving tribute to Sharon as part of the service. After the service, Bosco Mann and the Dap-Kings invited the singers, all great friends of Sharon's, back to the Daptone House of Soul studios in Bushwick to finish "Call on God" with them. At the studio, the members of the choir put on headphones and heard Sharon’s voice singing the song she wrote for them three decades earlier. Sharon always wanted to add background vocals to the song and she would have been happy to know that her old friends had come through to sing with her one final time.
Prior to her death from pancreatic cancer in 2016, Sharon Jones was nominated for her first Grammy award for the 2014 release, Give The People What They Want, toured and performed tirelessly, and was the subject of Miss Sharon Jones!, an acclaimed documentary by Oscar-winning director Barbara Kopple. Yet somehow, the beloved and heroic soul singer found time to complete a studio album. Soul of a Woman features eleven songs recorded with her long-time co-conspirators, the Dap-Kings, which reveal that the emotion, dynamics, and drama of Jones' voice remained at full power until her final days. The album is a lush, orchestral masterpiece, a true testament to the life and career of Daptone's fearless leader and one of the world's greatest performers.
Soul of a Woman Tracklist:
1. Matter of Time
2. Sail On!
3. Just Give Me Your Time
4. Come and Be a Winner
5. Rumors
6. Pass Me By
7. Searching for a New Day
8. These Tears (No Longer for You)
9. When I Saw Your Face
10. Girl! (You Got to Forgive Him)
11. Call on God
Praise for Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings:
"Starting at age 40, [Sharon Jones] began to realize the dream of every kid who ever saw a mic and thought 'One day...' She went on to forge a 20-year career of incomparable performances and influential recordings that'd be the envy of any artist out there. And in those final, difficult years, her dedication to her band and fans, her ineffable presence on stage, reminded me that there is still a beauty and grace in this world that even the specter of death cannot diminish." - NPR
"In venues filled with people half her age, [Sharon] Jones was the most dynamic person in the room, bolting onstage and commanding the crowd... respecting the soul and funk elders that defined the genres while displaying seemingly boundless vitality. Jones' power was the ability to straddle the line between thankful humility, born out of late-in-life success, and boastful performer." - Rolling Stone
Pre-Order/Stream Soul of a Woman:
Digital: http://geni.us/0CuDagB
Physical: http://bit.ly/2hSvDyi
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Socials:
Website: http://sharonjonesandthedapkings.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings/
Twitter: @sharonjones @the_dapkings