Lee Fields is ready for his closeup. In fact, the old school soul shouter is overdue for his Sharon Jones moment. Just like her, he sweats, screams and bleeds soul. Unlike her, he’s been doing it since the late ’60s, recording singles and albums for small labels and never really hitting but always delivering the 100% greasy goods. In the late ’90s, Fields hooked up with the people who soon started the Daptone label and began to gain some more widespread acclaim among people who were blown away by his dedication and determination (as well as his unhinged vocals, which sound like James Brown in the middle of one of his angel dust-fueled misadventures.) His new album on the Truth & Soul label is called My World and it’s one of his best. This time out he and his band the Expressions lay back a little and create a heartbroken and moody record full of stripped down and aching ballads, haunted-sounding mid-tempo tracks and a masterfully sad cover of the Supremes’ “My World is Empty Without You”. It’s a bit of a departure from his more freewheeling sound of the past — more Curtis Mayfield than James Brown — but it works completely and ends up sounding nothing short of magical.

Here’s a couple of the best tracks from the record:
“My World”
“Honey Dove”
“My World Is Empty”

And here’s some footage of Fields and the Expressions tearing their way through “Loves Comes and Goes”. Dude flat out owns the stage!