Veteran funk and soul man Lee Fields has been actively recording and touring since 1969. He's cut albums for 14 labels and has been backed by dozens of musicians. In 2006, he signed to Truth & Soul Records. His first offering for the label, The Many Moods Of..., paired the vocalist with the label's house band the Expressions, led by producer and co-label head Leon Michels. The singer and band clicked and began to tour in Europe and the U.S. My World, issued in 2009, was greeted with widespread acclaim. Treacherous followed in 2011, and Faithful Man came a year later. Fields & the Expressions toured globally almost nonstop, playing to ever larger audiences on the festival circuit in Europe and sold-out houses at home. After a short break in 2013, they headed back into the recording studio. A new single, "Magnolia" (a cover of J.J. Cale's classic tune), appeared on Record Store Day in 2014, followed by the 11-song full-length Emma Jean in early June. Lee Fields & the Expressions opted to follow Michels and his business partner Danny Akalepse to their new Brooklyn-based independent Big Crown Records. Their kick-off set for the label, Special Night, was designated a "throwback" album, chock-full of smooth ballads and quiet storm tunes. Preceded by the title track in October 2016, the album was released in November. ~ Steve Huey & Thom Jurek