Lee Fields & The Expressions Funk | Soul 8 Items

Big Crown Records presents another killer two sider pulled from Lee Fields & The Expressions instant classic "Special Night". With Lee touring the world from sold out show to sold out show supporting his album, we give the DJs and collectors another must have 45.

The A side "Never Be Another You" finds Lee & The Expressions taking another turn on the formula their success has been built on. An unorthodox track to find on a soul album made to fit perfectly, once again pushing the aesthetics of analog soul further into the present. Lee confesses his love and appreciation for his woman walking the fine line of vulnerability and strength.

The B- side "Lover Man" is equal parts rough and smooth. The production and the band come off with a thunderous backing track that takes it's time to get to full sail while Lee lays down some tell it like it is lyrics. Fields comes to the microphone with the confidence only a man with his track record could putting down what life is like with him if the woman he is after just let's it be that way.

We are always sitting on a handful of unreleased songs that didn't make their way to albums. Listening back to these gems we decided to launch a new series entitled Big Crown Vaults and the first volume features the music of Lee Fields & the Expressions. These tunes were cut during the Special Night & It Rains Love sessions. Listening to these tracks you can imagine how difficult some of these decisions were in the first place to leave them off the albums. An absolute standout is "Regenerate," a song that finds Lee in the country soul realm, a style that Mr Fields, a North Carolina native, flourishes in. A drum break starts the song and then drops into a chorus where El Michels, Paul & Big Bill Schalda belt out the earworm chorus. Lee sings an encouraging tune about finding your way out of a low point in a relationship while The Expressions lay down an airtight groove. "Thinking About You" takes it back to the dance floors with what will surely be a hit at Soul parties around the globe. An uptempo drum break opens the song and Lee launches into a tale about the unbreakable bond with his significant other and how they keep each strong through moments of hardship and pain. People who have seen Lee perform live in the last decade might have been lucky enough to hear his rendition of Little Carl Carlton's "Two Timer". For those of you who haven't heard it, Big Crown Vaults has got you covered. A faithful version of the song showcases Lee's gorgeous voice and the Expres- sion's unwavering groove. Another treat on here is the fuzzed out funk banger "Do You Know" where Fields uses his platform to address some of our societal woes in a "Make The World" style. A deeper from the vaults number is "Out To Get You", an instrumental that Lee never laid down vocals to. Even as just a rhythm track it stands as a testament to The Expressions musical prowess, the band that created 5 studio albums with Lee Fields which will go down in history as stone classics.

We are always sitting on a handful of unreleased songs that didn't make their way to albums. Listening back to these gems we decided to launch a new series entitled Big Crown Vaults and the first volume features the music of Lee Fields & the Expressions. These tunes were cut during the Special Night & It Rains Love sessions. Listening to these tracks you can imagine how difficult some of these decisions were in the first place to leave them off the albums. An absolute standout is "Regenerate," a song that finds Lee in the country soul realm, a style that Mr Fields, a North Carolina native, flourishes in. A drum break starts the song and then drops into a chorus where El Michels, Paul & Big Bill Schalda belt out the earworm chorus. Lee sings an encouraging tune about finding your way out of a low point in a relationship while The Expressions lay down an airtight groove. "Thinking About You" takes it back to the dance floors with what will surely be a hit at Soul parties around the globe. An uptempo drum break opens the song and Lee launches into a tale about the unbreakable bond with his significant other and how they keep each strong through moments of hardship and pain. People who have seen Lee perform live in the last decade might have been lucky enough to hear his rendition of Little Carl Carlton's "Two Timer". For those of you who haven't heard it, Big Crown Vaults has got you covered. A faithful version of the song showcases Lee's gorgeous voice and the Expres- sion's unwavering groove. Another treat on here is the fuzzed out funk banger "Do You Know" where Fields uses his platform to address some of our societal woes in a "Make The World" style. A deeper from the vaults number is "Out To Get You", an instrumental that Lee never laid down vocals to. Even as just a rhythm track it stands as a testament to The Expressions musical prowess, the band that created 5 studio albums with Lee Fields which will go down in history as stone classics.

Following up on the massive success of Lee Fields recently released full length "It Rains Love" we drop another 45 for the DJs and collectors. This time showing off two different sides of Lee & The Expressions range. The A side "Wake Up" is Lee's heavy duty, drum driven, anthemic tune for the times. Fields calls out the highly over-used and abused term of the current presidency "fake news." Over a hard as nails sound bed courtesy of The Expressions he goes on asking people to wake up and not let this propaganda sway them from knowing what is right and wrong. The B side "You're What's Needed In My Life" is a gushing testament to the beauty of love. Solidifying his title as the Professor of Love it's almost like he's writing your girl's valentine for you. Going beyond how happy the woman he is singing to makes him and telling of how she makes everyone she meets happier. This two-sider is about as classic as possible, a heavy duty funk banger on the A side, and nothing but love on the ballad B side. Another classic and timeless offering from the one and only Lee Fields.

As Lee is out on the road spreading the love to crowds across Europe we decided to press up another undeniable two sider off the instant classic Special
Night album. Another must have for the DJs….

Side A is “Coming Home”, Lee’s incredible take on working, how we get through it, and why we do it. He sings to his wife a story a lot of people can relate to,
working all day looking forward to coming home to his family. The Expressions provide the perfect feel good backing to this midtempo masterpiece with
beautiful horn arrangements, catchy background vocals, and a guitar riff as catchy as the chorus.

Side B’s “Precious Love” is the perfect example of the song writing and arranging prowess the producers (Leon Michels & Tommy Brenneck) and the
band have honed over the years. Catchy from the intro, this love song keeps the dance floor and holds up next to the classics. Play this for your precious love.

This is the instrumental version of Lee Fields’ latest album.

Produced by Leon Michels and Thomas Brenneck, and brilliantly performed by the Expressions, “Special Night” was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered entirely to tape in three weeks at the legendary Diamond Mine Studios in Queens, NY. A sense of urgency, equal parts fun and inspiration, and a decent amount of beer and Jack Daniels were the driving forces during the sessions that produced Lee Fields & The Expressions latest offering.

Mr Fields is back with a funk burner sure to light up every dance floor it
plays to. There couldn’t be a better time for an optimistic anthem from the
seasoned wisdom of Lee. The Expressions tearing this track apart with
driving horns and guitars over monster drums and the slick arrangements
we have all come to love them for. Leon Michels & Tommy Brenneck’s
production bringing together some of the finest players doing it today with
Lee’s inimitable voice reminding and encouraging us to get together and
make some changes, changes that are ours to make.
Another Big Crown sureshot.

"There are a few terms that get thrown around loosely, two of which are legend and retro-soul. One of these fits Lee Fields hand and glove, one of these doesn’t
fit at all. Very few people in music have both earned the status of legendary and continue to solidify it. 50 years in the game and only getting better, gaining more
fans, and evolving his sound on each album, Lee is in fact a Living Legend. This brings us to the misuse of the term ""retro-soul"" when talking about Mr. Fields.
You don’t have to look far to find a younger generation emulating the essence and styles of an era the’ve only experienced through music and movies. It seems
unfair to tag Lee with a term that implies imitation when he is part of the generation that actually defined the genre. Plain and simple, this is not that. ""Special
Night"" is a masterclass in soul music past and present.
“I feel that every human being’s purpose is to do what their inner voice says to do,” says Lee Fields. “And my inner voice, my driving force, wants me to put out
music and keeping making better records.”
Produced by Leon Michels and Thomas Brenneck, and brilliantly performed by the Expressions, Special Night was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered
entirely to tape in three weeks at the legendary Diamond Mine Studios in Queens, NY. A sense of urgency, equal parts fun and inspiration, and a decent amount
of beer and Jack Daniels were the driving forces during the sessions that produced Lee Fields & The Expressions latest offering.
Special Night is also the first record in the Expressions catalogue in which every song was written jointly by Lee Fields and The Expressions. “When I record, I
make every song like I actually mean it. I mean every word I say. On Special Night I’m talking to my lady — literally, expressing the way I feel.” says Lee Fields.
“You can tell if a song is real or not, and every moment I’m recording, those moments are real, this is a record about what people do in real life”. For one example,
he cites the song “Work to Do,” which tells the story of “a guy going to counseling, drinking too much, apologizing to the old lady and trying to keep family
together, doing the manly thing.” On “Make This World”, Lee makes a nod back to his early funk roots with a cautionary tale about the health of the planet. The
world was designed to last indefinitely,” says Fields. “We’re the only living species on Earth who can alter that process. I’m hoping that song has a chain reaction,
helps somebody put into action whatever contribution they can to change what the world is going through.” As always, sticking to the formula but pushing the
boundaries “Never Be Another You” from the first note doesn’t sound like something you would hear on a Lee record, that is until he starts singing anyhow. A
low tempo ballad with a head nodding drum track, sparse piano lines, and all the space Lee needs to lay down what is sure to be one of the flyest love songs of
2017.
Whether tackling a tune about love lost, found, or broader topics like the state of humanity, Lee has a very unique and honest perspective that is on display with
each unforgettable performance. Also, The Expressions have never been sharper, they, along with Lee, have created a collection of music on Special Night which
holds court with pretty much any soul music that came before it."