Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings are back with their fourth album I Learned the Hard Way. It’s another authentic, heart-felt album filled with heartache and daily struggles. It was produced by their own bandleader and bassist Gabriel “Bosco Mann” Roth and recorded in its entirety on an old Ampex eight-track tape. It wraps the record with a warmth and genuineness rarely found since the golden analog days of Stax Records. Sharon’s massive voice keeps getting stronger in her ’50s, echoing the raw power of Tina Turner, the moaning soulfulness of Mavis Staples and the rhythmic swagger of James Brown. And with her background she speaks the truth. They’ve moved from the gritty funk to more mid-tempo and psychedelic soul.

It opens up with the smooth string-laden Philly-soul fanfare “The Game Gets Old,” and is followed by the strongest cut on the album, the title track and lead single, “I Learned the Hard Way.” It’s a mid-tempo stomper, complete with sweet backing vocals and horns. It has the timeless quality of Ann Sexton’s “You’ve Been Gone Too Long.” Another highlight is “Better Things,” which evokes a Marvin Gaye-esque uplifting after-hours jam session. The album’s most current track is “Money,’’ a reflecting and slightly psychedelic chant about economic problems and Wall Street scenarios. The album ends with the doo-wop, Sam Cooke style “Mama Don’t Like My Man.”

One could argue this is just soul revival and that it doesn’t sound current, but the band shows solid craftsmanship, and it’s easy to see why they’re an in-demand ensemble for artists like Amy Winehouse. Their “Daptone Sound” isn’t a retro ride or nostalgic, it is timeless and dynamic.

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