Soul legend Lee Fields has re-teamed with The Expressions for new album
Emma Jean. Coming at a time when many new artists are trying to
emulate the soul and swagger of the 1960s, Mr. Fields showers us with
authenticity on the 11-track set, highlighted by first single
“Magnolia.” Hear the refreshed cover of the JJ Cale track that embodies
the late, great American singer-songwriter and the Tulsa Sound he helped
create. Since releasing his first album in 1969, Fields has continued
to make music for the last 45 years.
And having been on the road,
touring non-stop for the better part of the last decade, it's evident
that Fields has hit an elevated stride both as a recording artist and
live performer. Emma Jean is the follow up to Fields’ widely praised
first two Truth & Soul albums—2009’s My World and 2012’s Faithful
Man. Lee Fields & The Expressions have forged a distinct soulful
sound and a grown style with this album. They’ve pushed their sound in
new directions, moving from being content as contemporary soul music
royalty and instead delving into and exploring its next steps.
There's a
sharper wisdom in the songwriting--from the having loved, lost, and
learned vibe of “Don't Leave Me This Way,” backed by crooning guitar and
wailing horns, to the sophisticated arrangements and studio acumen
that's pared with Lee's straightforward sincerity in “Just Can't Win.”
Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys wrote “Paralyzed,” and having Emma Jean
mixed and partially recorded at his Nashville studio, country soul and
bluesy rock are immediately noticeable. It brings a different kind of
strut to the album, but Fields--born and raised in North Carolina--is
right at home with the Southern soul sound. In fact, it feels like a
natural progression: an organic, refreshingly pure next step.
Like past
releases from this matchless pairing of Fields' warm-and-raw growl and
The Expressions' switched-on and sharp musicianship, Emma Jean takes
soul music in a familiar but updated direction. "He's 63 years old,”
notes the album’s producer and co-owner of Truth & Soul Leon
Michels, “he's so focused, and has been working non-stop--he's singing
the best he ever has."
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