Soul legend Lee Fields has re-teamed with the Expressions for his new album Emma Jean. The full LP went out June 3rd on Truth & Soul Records & Itunes. 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 the 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.
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 to 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 paired 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, the 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 pstep.
