Sharon Jones album to come out a year

An album of unreleased songs by soul singer Sharon Jones will come out next month one year after her death, her label announced Tuesday.

Jones, who found fame late in life as her powerful, rich voice brought comparisons to James Brown, had been recording with her band The Dap-Kings before her death, Daptone Records said.

Following posthumous studio work, the album -- entitled "Soul of a Woman" -- will come out on November 17, the label said.

"Though we'll never again see her electric form shimmy across the stage, Sharon Jones continues to give us her soul and her music," a statement said.

Raised in Brooklyn, Jones started singing Gospel music in church and secured work as a back-up recording vocalist. But without steady music work, she took a variety of other jobs -- including serving as a corrections officer on Rikers Island, New York City's largest jail complex.

She had her break as a backup singer for Amy Winehouse, and finally found success as a solo artist in the 2000s on newly formed Daptone, a Brooklyn-based label dedicated to reviving classic soul and funk.

Jones, who had battled cancer since 2013, died at age 60. She suffered a stroke when watching the results of last year's presidential election, and in her final days joked that Donald Trump's victory was to blame.

Jones's story has parallels to that of Charles Bradley, another late-blooming soul singer who overcame hardship to find success on Daptone. He died last month in Brooklyn of cancer at age 68.

Source: AFP