Spend your time listening to what passes for “hip” and mainstream these days and you’ll be left with a void that you may not be able to pinpoint. For all of the sexy “singers,” voices autotuned to perfection, and sexy Instagram feeds, there lacks a sense of real emotion – humanism – which ultimately translates to soul. Enter the singer Lee Fields and his band of young guns known as the Expressions. His appearance and demeanor may not show it, but Fields comes from a time when popular music had passion and feeling, when there was value to the performer and not to the marketing data or endorsement behind him or her. It should come as no surprise that this entertainer and his band sold out the Parish in Austin on Thursday night, as there are undoubtedly legions of music lovers craving something real and tangible, something that comes from and connects directly to the heart.
Getting the evening rolling was Austin’s own Roxy Roca. The up-and-coming group is part of a handful of local groups specializing in white-bred soul music that have emerged in the last few years. What sets this group apart from the pack is the tightness and dedication of the band and their frontmant Taye Cannon, who possesses a smoky voice that isn’t so much smooth, but feels gritty, authentic, and is at times reminiscent of British blue-eyed soulsters like Rod Stewart. Despite it only being an opening set, Cannon appeared to be putting everything he had into the performance, enhancing upon his Alabama roots and bearing himself to the crowd with blazing Southern passion. By the end of their set Roxy Roca worked the crowd into a dance frenzy, setting the proper vibe for what would follow.
The most obvious comparison to Lee Fields is Charles Bradley; both toiled for years in the entertainment industry as soul singers with menial rewards before being discovered by young, enthusiastic musicians determined to reintroduce them to the world in proper fashion. However, to say they’re the same would be overly simplistic. Whereas Charles Bradley sings as if he’s calling out to and reckoning with a greater force, Lee Fields revels in the energy and positivity of life at this very moment. This is what he brought to the stage in front of the sold out crowd at the Parish, all of whom were eager to bask in his funky positivity. With the help of his youthful crack musicians – about as tight as a band can get – Fields kept the audience in his grasp as he took them on a journey through his world, one that sees him putting forth his past work in funk, disco and R&B. Much of the band’s set focused on songs off their recently released and critically praised album, Emma Jean. On songs like “Just Can’t Win,” the organ-heavy “Eye To Eye” and the sultry “Magnolia,” Lee Fields embodied the character of his songs; a perpetual protagonist just getting trying to experience love and life to the fullest. Of course, it’s the obstacles that come with such an ambitious pursuit that make the journey worth listening to, and even on sadder tunes like the soaring anthem “Still Gets Me Down,” there was nothing else to do smile and dance to the delicious grooves.
Soul music in its purest sense has always been a release. It is music that often dwells on life’s low points and misfortunes, yet transcends to elevate us to a higher place of positivity. In this sense true soul music is the essence of the human spirit. There is no need for photo ops and sensationalized Twitter posts because the passion comes naturally. Through their music and the comforting presence of a real, no bull-shit performer with everything to prove and nothing to lose, Lee Fields and the Expressions exuded the natural magic that can only come with using music as a remedy for the hardships that life sometimes brings. The group and their charismatic leader kept the sold out audience in rapture throughout their set, and when they finally concluded with the a gut-grabbing, funkalicious “Faithful Man,” unanimous smiles indicated they had done their job and done it well.
Photos by Arthur VanRooy
2 Responses
Digitizing embroidery is the term used for turning an image into a design. These
threads are cheap and easy to work with to create complicated designs from the craftsmen. These t-shirts
are particularly defined for teens and tweens.