Saun & Starr
Look Closer
60s 70s Soul Funk Daptone Records is proud to release 'Look Closer' the debut album by Saun and Starr While the group's name may not be immediately familiar Starr DuncanLowe and Saundra Williams'distinctive voices have been featured as the background vocals for Sharon Jones and the DapKingsboth on stage and on recordFinally the duo has prepared to step forward into the limelightThough they grew up mere blocks from one another in New York's South Bronx singing in local church choirs and in plays since a young age the pair didn't meet until an open mic night in 1986 Bound by a mutual respect for each other's talent and a shared taste for soul music Saun and Starr formed what would be a lasting friends hip The chemistry between these three women was instant and undeniable and Saun and Starr were both selected to sing lead alongside Sharon performing as a trio under the name The Good 'N'Plenty Girls for much of the 1990s Over the next several years each would leave the wedding band in their own time Sharon would hook up with Desco and then Daptone Records tolaunch her welldocumented solo career Starr was enjoying touring with the gospel groups Glory Gospel Singers and Sister Act and Saun was working steadily with dozens of other bands throughout NYC In 1999 Saundra released Bless The Day her solo fulllength debut Although the three singers kept in touch throughout the 2000s they did not reunite until 2008 when Sharon recruited her old friends for a oneoff performance with The DapKings Soon the band realised how vital Saundra and Starr's backing vocals were to the live show Rechristened as The Dapettes Starr and Saundra became regular members of Sharon Jones' live band Before long Saun and Starr joined The DapKings at Daptone Records' House of Soul in Brooklyn to begin recording an album of their own material The first single from this session 'Hot Shot' penned by Daptone's inhouse producer Gabe Roth and DapKings' saxophonist Cheme Gastelum and backed with 'Gonna Make Time' was Daptone's best selling 45 to date 'Look Closer' which features both tracks from the single is the culmination of Saun and Starr's work at the House of Soul Its allanalogue production and masterful rich instrumentation are hallmarks of The DapKings who perform on every track Though the overall mood of 'Look Closer' is joyous there's plenty of variety to be found within from the dramatic attitude of 'Your Face Before My Eyes' to the sparkling 'Sunshine' and the sultry ballad 'In The Night' Saun and Starr's cadences intertwine beautifully on ' Gonna Make Time' against a percussive backdrop while 'Big Wheel' is a perfect showcase for their individual vocal talents from emotive belting and storytelling to callandresponse and those perfectly balanced harmonies With their first album as a duo Saun and Starr havefinally found their home on Daptone Being a part of the Daptone family makes me feel free tostay true to the sounds of what we grew up on and love says Starr Saun agrees adding I am excited about getting this record out there and having the world hear what we've been working so hard on with The DapKings It's been a long time coming Let's Hit It
Tracklist
1. Look Closer (Can't You See the Signs?)
2. Hot Shot
3. Gonna Make Time
4. Sunshine (You're Blowin' My Cool)
5. If Only
6. Another Love Like Mine
7. Big Wheel
8. Your Face Before My Eyes
9. Dear Mr Teddy
10. In The Night
11. Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah