I Learned The Hard Way
by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
  • Record Label: Daptone
  • Release Date: Apr 6, 2010
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Slant Magazine
    60
    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.
  2. Rolling Stone
    60
    Sharon 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. Call the Dap-Kings a band if you want--they're really connoisseurs.
  3. The Guardian
    60
    Recorded on 60s equipment, there are funky licks, handclaps, "funky drummer" beats and songs that describe the "game of love" and even "hurting so bad". It's almost comically textbook at times, but made with love.
  5. Uncut
    60
    For all the effective arrangements, most of the songs sound a bit anonymous. [Jun 2010, p.92]
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  6. Q Magazine
    60
    It's good, but then again no better than a genuine, crackly, long-forgotten B-side or buried album track that a specialist reissue label might have unearthed. And there, ultimately is the rub. [Jun 2010, p.127]
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Awards & Rankings

83
#83 Best Album of 2010

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. Labarron
    Nov 22, 2011
    10
    I love this album! I have it listen to it at least twice a month. It's soulful, jazzy, and funk. I very happy that I discovered the group.I love this album! I have it listen to it at least twice a month. It's soulful, jazzy, and funk. I very happy that I discovered the group. Sharon sings very well with The Dap Kings with their jazzy instruments in the background. Good Job!!… Full Review »
  2. uptonk.
    Apr 12, 2010
    10
    Perfect. Seasoned and knowing. Just an incredible disc from beginning to end. Sharon is simply the best.
  3. VincentD.
    Apr 7, 2010
    9
    Soulful, beautiful, even breathtaking - this album delivers on all fronts. A triumph in what it achieves in the genre.
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