Soul/R&B

I've been pretty amazed by the variety and quality that the loose group of New York musicians affiliated with the Desco/Daptone Records juggernaut has maintained over the past decade, combining funk, Afrobeat, and hard soul. Flagship band the Dap-Kings have enhanced the already considerable appeal of singer Sharon Jones to the point that they're headlining the Vic with her on Thursday (it wasn't so long ago that they were playing the Double Door), and their members have also turned up in various combinations backing Amy Winehouse, Al Green, and Lily Allen, among others. Other label-affiliated groups, some of which predate the Dap-Kings, include the Daktaris, Antibalas, the Soul Providers, the Sugarman 3, and the Budos Band.

Though he never reached quite the stature of first-tier soul stars like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, Overton Vertis "O.V." Wright is recognized as one of the great semilegendary voices in classic soul music.

Wright, who passed away in Memphis on November 16, 1980, is remembered for classic deep-soul recordings such as "That's How Strong My Love Is" (later covered by Redding and the Rolling Stones), "A Nickel and a Nail," and "Motherless Child" (sampled, to great effect, by Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ghostface Killah), all products of a long career that started with local indie Back Beat Records before Wright began working with producer Willie Mitchell's Hi Records in the '70s.

If inscrutable noise marathons aren't your idea of celebrating a certain candidate's ascension to the highest public office, perhaps you'll want to do your dancing in the streets down at Santos Party House. Tonight, Friday night resident DJ (and hip-hop legend via his group A Tribe Called Quest) Q-Tip steps to the decks to spin on Election Night. Recently nominated for Best Party in New York, you can guarantee this will be a fine way to dance away months and months and months of political stress, trepidation, and worry. And you can also celebrate the release of Q-Tip's new album, The Renaissance while you're at it.

Tonight @Santos Party House 100 Lafayette Doors at 10pm 21+ $tba

Janet "Check Out My Left Nipple" Jackson performed a concert in Michigan last night and cut out a three-song segment of her show that was deemed "too racy."

During one of the three songs, "Discipline," Jackson has been tying down a male member of the audience and "molests" him while back-up dancers simulate sex acts.