Lee Fields / Expressions MY WORLD

Despite popular belief to the contrary, soul music was alive and well through much of the 1980s and '90s, but while Southern specialist labels like Malaco and Ichiban were still giving traditional R&B shouters a place to be heard, most of their records were made on the cheap with synths and drum machines taking the place of live bands and imaginative productions and arrangements. Thankfully, a new generation of soul enthusiasts has gotten into the act, attempting to capture a more dynamic and sympathetic sound on-stage and in the studio, with Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings providing the new soul scene with a genuine breakout success. Lee Fields may never sell as many records as Jones, but his album My World is one of boldest and most imaginative to emerge from the new soul revival. Most of Fields' earlier albums have focused on his vocal resemblance to James Brown, but My World allows him to show off other aspects of his musical personality without blunting the raw and passionate