Lee Fields: “You’re The Kind Of Girl”
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In 2004, Jeff Silverman and Leon Michels started Truth & Soul Records with the intent to faithfully reproduce the kind of smooth soul, funk, and R&B the two had been obsessed with since childhood. They recruited a number of session musicians, but they still needed a singer. And that’s when Lee Fields stepped in. Despite being decades older than anybody else in the room, Fields brought the personal fire that they craved. Thus, Lee Fields and the Expressions were born.
In 2009, the group released the well-received My World, but new fans found out that this wasn’t Fields’s first rodeo. He’s an absolute veteran–he’s been in the soul music trenches since the late ’60s, touring Southern college circuits and generally keeping a low profile. Fields has over fifteen albums and countless singles to his name. As a young singer, he was called the “Little J.B.” in reference to his idol James Brown, but all the years of experience have added up to a voice that’s wholly his own.
March 13 sees the release of yet another album, A Faithful Man. On first single “You’re The Kind Of Girl,” the Expressions lay down a retro groove, but with Fields, it’s not just a vintage rehash. He’s able to bring both his past and present to the song, creating a soul masterpiece for a new generation.
You can also catch Lee Fields at South By Southwest:
Wednesday, March 14, Red 7 patio, 11pm
Thursday, March 15, Hype Hotel (504 Trinity–RSVP here), 2pm
Thursday, March 15, the ND, 10pm
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