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| Nytimes |
 The retro-soul queen Sharon Jones comes by her authority naturally, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t worked for it. As the voice of Daptone Records, Brooklyn’s own funk factory, she has devoted countless hours and an even greater share of kinetic energy to an evangelical task: the practice of a gritty, time-warped strain of R&B. “I Learned the Hard Way” is her fourth album with the Dap-Kings, and to say that it does nothing differently from its predecessors is essentially, among Daptone believers, high praise.The title doubles as a testimonial by Ms. Jones and her band. As is generally the case with a Daptone release, the album’s producer is Bosco Mann, the label founder and Dap-Kings bassist, who also goes by his real name, Gabriel Roth. Recorded on an eight-track tape machine, the music gives off a musk of enlightened toil. Ms. Jones learned the hard way, it would seem, because she and the band do everything the hard way....full text |
| Xxlmag |
| Releasing two separate albums on the same day is not something that has been done often in hip-hop (Nelly released his LPs Sweat and Suit on September 14, 2004). Then again, the Bay Area ambassador E-40 is not the typical rapper. Over the span of his nearly 20-year career, 40 has rarely been one to adhere to trends, yet he has maintained a faithful, hardcore fan base. For his 11th and 12th solo studio albums (Revenue Retrievin’: Day Shift and Revenue Retrievin’: Night Shift), 40 chose to take the independent route and stick to the script. Whereas Day Shift embodies a melodic, accessible sound, a back-to-basics aesthetic is clear on Night Shift. As one of the first rappers—if not the first rapper—to ever rhyme in detail about the drug trade, 40 reminisces and flexes his coke-rap muscles on both LPs. The Rick Rock–produced “Over the Stove,” where he raps, “If this rap shit don’t work, mayne/I’m back over the stove,” is one of the highlights of Night Shift. You’ll find similar venom on Day Shift, even though it’s designed to be the least sonically aggressive of the two. Despite an unorthodox style, 40 has been able to work well with a variety of different artists throughout the years. There is an abundance of guest appearances on both discs. His guest list on Night Shift includes Bay Area stars like Messy Marv and The Jacka (“He’s a Gangsta”) and Ya Boy, Turf Talk and Cousin Fik (“Knock ’Em Down Music”). It is more-mainstream acts, like Gucci Mane (“Whip It Up”) and Too $hort (“Bitch”), who lend their talents to Day Shift. At times, it works out perfectly, like on the aforementioned songs, but at other times, E-40 outshines his company. On Night Shift’s Jazze Pha–produced “Can’t Stop the Boss,” 40 is joined by Too $hort and Snoop Dogg on what sounds like an updated, late-’90s West Coast collaboration, but the song works despite a subpar verse from Snoop....full text |
| Allmusic |
| A comparable but slightly superior outing to E-40’s nightlife-oriented Revenue Retrievin’: Night Shift, which was released on the same date, Revenue Retrievin’: Day Shift finds the Bay veteran sticking more closely to his comfort zone and making songs about what he knows: the streets. Crammed with diss-tracks (“B*tch,” which features the originator of the term “beeotch,” Too Short), cautionary tales of running drugs (“I’ma Teach Ya How to Sell Dope," "The Weedman"), and stories about gangbanging (“The Art of Story Tellin’,” “Duck”), the raw content is perfectly fitting for the minimalistic production that spans the two discs. E-40 returns to his roots with a grimy sound and roomy kick-snare beats -- courtesy of Rick Rock, Willy Will, and E-40’s son, Droop-E, among others. Also joining E-40 is a lengthy list of guest contributors, including Gucci Mane, B-Legit, Mike Marshall, Suga T, J. Valentine, and Stressmatic. Even as individual discs, Day Shift and Night Shift are too bloated to be truly excellent, but as exhaustive as the material is, there are a fair number of gems on board, and E-40’s wordplay is as unrestrained and provocative as ever....full text |
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