Posted on 06/23/2009
It's safe to assume that Lee Fields is not on soul music's Mount Rushmore with the likes of Stevie, Marvin, and James. But with the release of My World, the veteran soul singer aims to remind today's generation of neo-soul crooners about where the music came from. On this album, Fields doesn't just sing about love, women and money. With the help of his band, The Expressions, this North Carolina born vocalist screams passionately about those topics with fierce intensity and gut-wrenching power.

The Expressions might be more important to the album than Fields himself. While Fields purges his soul to deliver heartfelt messages of love lost and found, his band provides the perfect backdrop for him to do so, as they blend samba, soul and funk over eleven tracks, each one with enough juice to stand alone without vocals. The album's three instrumentals: "Expressions Theme," "These Moments," and "Last Ride" are prime examples. It's on the samba influenced "My World Is Empty Without You" and the laid-back "Honey Dove" that Fields truly meshes his talent with the band for good throwback music. But while he succeeds overall, listeners may be left wanting more sophisticated songwriting from Fields, as his straightforward lyrics are easy to digest, but does little justice for The Expressions' elaborate production.

The LP opens with "Do You Love Me (Like You Say You Do)," where Fields asks "what can a man do, when a woman is all he's got?" On the next song, "Love Comes And Goes," he makes one last plea to a significant other to work on the relationship before breaking it off completely. On the album's fourth track, "Money I$ King," he warns of the evils that can be caused by the almighty dollar. "Ladies," an ode to woman around the world, comes off clunky and unimpressive, however.

My World will push Fields' long-time fans into nostalgia, and cause them to recollect a time when soul music was real and raw. But at the same time, this album sounds relevant, so those new to Fields' sound will find this recording easy to process. Listeners will appreciate the LP's honesty and soundscape, even if some of the lyrics are somewhat elementary. For those of you new to Lee Fields, welcome to his world.

- Marcus Moore