Plenty of musicians can last as they age, but not all of them can thrive and continue to lead by example.
With an astounding career that spans seven decades, Lee Fields is somehow still rising high and showing others exactly how it could and probably should be done.
At a sold-out 9:30 Club recently, the “soul of soul music,” as Lee was introduced, guided the nation’s capital to a wildly good time and most likely altered the lives of everyone in the room for the better.
“I’ve never seen so many good-looking people singing along together in the same place!” shouted the 73-year-old sparkplug.
“Are you with this woman?!?” Fields pointed directly at ticketholders in the front row. “Man, you are LUCKY!”
Out of the gate, the dinner time crowd was his to control, and he worked his way across the front row, interacting with several couples and no doubt making their night just as fast.
Like all his recorded work, which certifies him as one of the most accomplished soul singers of all time, respect and admiration for women was a central theme for the performance on April 13.
Listen to Lee Fields’ 2022 studio album, Sentimental Fool, via Spotify:
Backed by his talented friends and collaborators, a razor-sharp outfit called The Expressions, Fields showcased his supernatural abilities as an entertainer and wowed the enthusiastic audience with a gushing set of songs pulled from albums he’s put out under his own name and others as Lee Fields & The Expressions.
Fans heard the mesmerizing “Forever,” as well as Lee’s own recollection of seeing and hearing this song featured in a heartbreaking — and acclaimed — dog food commercial that ran during Super Bowl LVII.
He and The Expressions have been making music together since the 2000s, and the group’s form on this tour includes numerous members of the Daptone Records family: Thomas Brenneck on guitar, Benny Trokan on bass, Frederick Deboe on saxophone, Jason Colby on trumpet, Victor Axelrod on keys, and Evan Pazner on drums.
In DC, the seasoned squad served up a stunning take on “Never Be Another You,” an unforgettable piece from the outstanding 2016 album Special Night, as well as “Honey Dove,” one of the singles to come out of Lee’s time with Truth & Soul Records and one that went on to be featured on two different TV series.
Watch Lee Fields’ 2023 Live on KEXP performance via YouTube:
These sparkling compositions showed modern soul music to be flourishing, and along with them the learned Fields offered up platinum nuggets of advice to all the men in the room. It was invaluable instruction to be heeded, as this workhorse has been there and back again having left entertainment in the 1980s to forge a path in real estate before returning to songwriting and performing in the early ’90s.
Along the way, he shared, he realized that having someone to care for him and someone to care for — his wife, Christine — was unquestionably the most important force in his life. He implored anyone in the storied V Street venue who might have been there with a loved one to make it crystal clear to that person just how much they are cherished.
“That someone that you love, you have to keep giving them a reason to keep on being as good as they are,” Lee coached.
But he acknowledged, too, that loving is not easy and that it can bring on challenges, as he illustrated with real-life examples from his own household, much to the delight of the crowd.
“Let me tell you somethin’. I LOVE my woman.”
Cheers.
“I LOVE my woman. When she said get another job, you know what I did?”
Guesses.
“I went and GOT myself another job! Yes I did! Yes siree, Bob!”
He drew howls of laughter throughout this celebration of love, and empowered by his wisdom, his charisma, and his sense of humor, Fields made it a festive occasion and unforgettable night for all those who could be there.
Revisit Lee Fields & The Expressions’ 2016 studio album, Special Night, via Spotify:
Setlist
You Can Count On Me
I Still Got It
Ladies
Forever
Never Be Another You
Two Jobs
Could Have Been
Money I$ King/She’s a Lovemaker
Unknown
Honey Dove
Below are home-rolled/developed/scanned 35mm images of Lee Fields and his band, The Expressions, as well as the night’s opening act, Monophonics, performing at 9:30 Club in Washington DC the night of April 13, 2024. All images copyright and courtesy of Casey Ryan Vock.
Monophonics
