By now, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings latest album, I Learned the Hard Way has already earned heaps of critical praise. I have no real complaints with these reviews—there is very little to fault on this album. I nevertheless feel that albums are beside the point when it comes to Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings. Or at least they should be. However good their albums may be, they seem trivial when compared to the group’s incredible live act. No matter how strong I Learned the Hard Way is, I am baffled as to why Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings still haven’t released a live album.

But just because their strengths lie in their live act doesn’t mean The Dap-Kings haven’t developed a powerful studio sound. First song, “The Game Gets Old” immediately separates the album from their previous work. Opening with swirling strings and horns, the song shows a level of polish neither Jones nor The Dap-Kings have shown before. Both “The Game Gets Old” and the title track that follows it make heavy use of female backing vocals and strings that were never as dominant on previous albums. And while both songs are melodically and structurally perfect, adding session musicians to a group as talented as The Dap-Kings is overkill. The end result is that no one stands out. Even Jones herself sounds less at the center of the action.

I Learned the Hard Way is the first album including outside songwriting help. Previously, all songs –with the exception of some notable covers like—were written by bassist Gabriel Roth. This time he contributes only half of the songwriting credits. While you’d never know it just from listening to the album, I think his relaxation of creative control has probably contributed to the more laid back tone of the album. The songs on here are on average much slower and quieter than on previous albums. The final track, “Mama Don’t Like My Man,” removes nearly the entire band from the mix. With just handclaps and guitar backing her up, Jones can really show off her voice. Unfortunately, I find myself just missing The Dap-Kings.

The fire isn’t all gone on here. “Money” is maybe the group’s hottest song yet. Jones sings, “Money! Why don’t you like me?” with all the passion of a jilted lover. And this time it sounds like The Dap-Kings are contributing the backing vocals instead of the previous female chorus. The change is a welcome one, because now we get to hear Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings fully working together, and their chemistry is nearly perfect. Unfortunately, the energy of “Money” sounds almost out of place on this album, especially since it’s followed by the dull instrumental “The Reason” and the lackluster “Window Shopping.” The band picks the pace back up for “She Ain’t a Child No More” and “I’ll Still Be True,” but without those songs, “Money” would be left out in the cold as the only song where The Dap-Kings sound like they’re having any fun.

All of this isn’t to say that the slower and more polished sound on here is totally charmless. “Without a Heart” has some cute lyrics about how life would be easier if Jones could bring herself to be more coldhearted. Just about every song on here sounds like it belongs on a soul station in the 60s. But Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings are wasting their talents if they define themselves by their albums or their singles. Their shows are about as close as anyone is likely to get to duplicating the energy of James Brown’s live performances during the late 60s. And for a group that clearly does their best to emulate James Brown’s sound (They have even been known to cover both “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” and “There Was a Time” in the same set), the fact that we are more than a decade into their career without a live album is just mind-boggling.

Track List:
1. The Game Gets Old
2. I Learned the Hard Way
3. Better Things
4. Give It Back
5. Money
6. The Reason
7. She Ain’t a Child No More
8. I’ll Still be True
9. Without a Heart
10. If You Call
11. Mama Don’t Like My Man