Soul singer Lee Fields may be an R&B veteran, but don't call him a relic. Since the 1970s, the North Carolina native has amassed a prolific catalog of albums — 15 and counting — and part of the secret to his success has been flexibility. To younger fans, especially those lauding his latest album, My World, Fields is retro-soul royalty, with a voice that recalls the heyday of Otis Redding and James Brown. For his older fans, Fields has been a stalwart of Southern soul/blues music: a thriving regional scene that's little known in the mainstream but supported by a deep network of radio stations and clubs.
By moving between the worlds of Southern R&B and retro-soul, Fields has flourished as an artist while maintaining ties to the musical traditions that have grounded him for 40 years.
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