Lee Fields & the Expressions: "Ladies"

On the right day, summer in the city can feel like an early Spike Lee movie on mute, tension bled out into melancholy scenes of mysterious interactions, everything sunny and beautiful just for existing. And if this God’s-view inner city cinematography had a soundtrack, it would be “Ladies” by ’70s soul survivor Lee Fields, whose new My World caps an impressive reemergence by breaking out of his sample-ready James Brown mode for a set of more contemplative tracks. The genre of classic soul is successfully interpreted so rarely that despite the odd lack of dynamics that often plagues these down-tempo cuts, the fact that the songs convince at all makes their work uncommonly compelling.

That said, perhaps the only thing that puts the rest of the album in a little bit of shadow is the way “Ladies” so confidently grabs the form and thrusts it forward without sacrificing an ounce of authenticity. The dynamics issue is solved effortlessly with slow-burn strings and a rhythm section unafraid to tighten it up and get funky, and Fields’ absolute vocal authority is well-served by the declarative lyrics and double-time chorus. But the best part is how the feeling of hard-earned nostalgia is developed by the space and punchiness of the precision production, indicating a lifetime of experience that has forgotten more about ladies who “look so fine / come summertime” than we’ll ever know.

That aura of casual wisdom, combined with the immediacy of the production and the effortless propulsion of the Expressions (who might just have one up on the Dap-Tones) imbue the track with a kind of twilight-cruising vibe that the looseness and youth of classic soul can’t compete with. It makes a good case for the continued development of a oft-museumed genre, but best of all is the case it makes for the viability of your summer. It may seem hectic out there but just roll up the windows and jam this—Fields will remind you just how perfect it is to be out there at all, no matter what happens.