Soul
legend Lee Fields has re-teamed with The Expressions for new album Emma Jean,
on Brooklyn’s Truth & Soul Records. 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.”
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.
Tracklisting: 01. Just
Can’t Win / 02.
Magnolia / 03.
Paralyzed / 04.
Standing By Your Side
05. Eye
To Eye / 06. In
The Woods / 07. All
I Need / 08. Still
Gets Me Down / 09. Talk
To Somebody / 10.
Stone Angel / 11.
Don’t Leave Me This Way.
~ grooveattack.com
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