Good God in Heaven, Lee Fields was wearing one hell of a jacket.
High-shouldered, plaid, and unapologetically loud, it was the kind of garment that could only be rocked by a flash circus clown or a down-to-the-bone soul man. And Lee Fields was damn sure the latter at his transcendent Neumo’s gig Tuesday night.
Fields came by that transcendence honestly. In a nutshell, he was (and remains) the real deal; a North Carolina-based singer who threw down potent soul and funk sides throughout the 1970s, selling 45s from the trunk of his car and tirelessly playing gigs without the aid of a major label. With that kind of old-school work ethic driving him, it’s no surprise the guy delivered live, and then some.
Tuesday’s show saw Fields shifting from ear-popping shrieks to soulful crooning in a heartbeat, and he worked the crowd with a master’s combination of showmanship and sincerity. The Expressions (indie label Truth and Soul’s de facto house band) backed that elemental force of a voice and persona to smoldering perfection, laying down rich beds of velour horns, purring organ, and subtly-funky guitar. The set leaned hard on Fields’ and The Expressions’ two most recent collaborations, 2009’s My World and last year’s Faithful Man, with cooking live treatments of older cuts like the fierce, topical “Fought for Survival” interspersed seamlessly.
Halfway through the set, Fields locked into a call-and-response, turning his mic to the audience for shouts and responding with howls so electrifying they’d have blown James Brown’s mind. “Thank you for bringing real soul to Seattle!” one spectator yelled afterwards. Truer words were never spoken, brother.
Early arrivals were rewarded with a customarily slamming opening set by funk-rock quartet Down North (joined by dynamo guest guitarist Jabrille Williams for a blistering version of the band’s signature tune, “Heartbreaker“), and some tasty Booker-T style instrumental R&B stylings from Seattle band The Bayous.