Renewing their license to funk with their first single since 2021’s debut album Black Light, Brooklyn four-piece Dakota Jones return with the infectiously groovy ‘Sugar Pie’. The track perfectly embodies both the confidence gained from being in a loving relationship and from the band having plied their trade for almost eight years, as it swaggers through its two-and-a-half minutes with an earthier sound than heard before from the New Yorkers.
With the song’s groove immediately laid down by bassist Scott Jet Kramp and drummer Steve Ross, there is already a quiet sense of self-assuredness around the track that comes after having a successful debut under the band’s belt. Despite this, the Motown-esque big-band R’n’B-funk sound of Black Light is eschewed for a more minimal, dirtier sound – the band opt to layer various synth organ textures into a fun instrumental that one can’t resist nodding heads and tapping toes to.
This more stripped-back accompaniment allows Tristan Carter-Jones’ rich, powerful voice to take centre stage. More soulful and sultry than ever, her lines overlap each other in a satisfyingly flowing counterpoint to the choppy organ textures as she immediately paints the picture of a love that will stop for no-one, opening with “You’ve given me sweet songs since day one / Shotgun wedding in my eyes”.
One thing that certainly carries over from Black Light is Carter-Jones’ championing of her black and queer heritage in her songwriting. In the chorus alone, references to “soul food” alongside the track title which is perhaps a nod to The Four Tops classic ‘Can’t Help Myself’ show that ‘Sugar Pie’ is steeped in the history and culture that the singer has lived in to great effect.
As guitarist Eddy Marshall joins in for the final refrain to fill out the texture with some well-placed licks for a grander – yet still understated – climax, there is most certainly a sense that this new era of Dakota Jones’ music is one to get on board with. Deftly mixing a grittier sound with Carter-Jones’ honeyed words, ‘Sugar Pie’ is a fantastic statement of intent for their return and will definitely pique the interest of listeners for what comes next for the band.
Words by David Harrold
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