Legendary soul singer Lee Fields makes his full-length Daptone Records debut with his long-awaited new album, SENTIMENTAL FOOL, which drops officially on October 28. Mr. Fields’ first new album in three years. The album was produced by Daptone Records founder ‘Bosco Mann’ – producer/musician Gabriel Roth – at his Penrose Recorders/Daptone West studio in Riverside, CA. Mr. Fields recently wrapped a West Coast headline run and will celebrate Sentimental Fool with an eagerly awaited North American tour, which got underway October 15 at Space Ballroom and then traveling through a very special New Year’s Eve show at Brooklyn, NY’s Brooklyn Made on December 31. Hailed by Rolling Stone for “his classic American soul sound,” Mr. Lee Fields is arguably the greatest pure soul singer alive today. His prolific 5 decades career spans more than 20 albums & over 40 singles, an ever-evolving body of work which continues to grow via samples by such artists as J. Cole, Travis Scott, Rick Ross, & A$AP Rocky as well as outside-the-box collaborations like the worldwide dance club hit, “Jealousy,” with French DJ/ producer Martin Solveig. In 2001, Roth opened the doors on Daptone Records, with Mr. Fields releasing a handful of singles. Now, more than 2 decades later, he has officially joined the Daptone roster, reuniting him with Roth on the 25th anniversary of their first meeting to record ‘Sentimental Fool’, a deep, blues-tinged collection expertly showcasing the beauty, power, and raw humanity of Mr. Fields’ voice. The album – features backing from an all-star lineup of Daptone family members including guitarist Thomas Brenneck, bassist Benny Trokan, drummer Brian Wolfe, keyboardists Victor Axelrod & Jimmy Hill, saxophonists Neal Sugarman & Ian Hendrickson-Smith, trumpeter Dave Guy, along with an array of additional guest musicians/ backing vocalists. It’s clear with this new album, the top of his game is where Mr. Fields is at.
I had the pleasure of catching up with family to the proGram, Mr. Lee Fields ahead of his Saturday, October 22nd show in Madison at The Majestic Theater. It is always thrilling to have an artist be their complete self during a conversation and this one is a fine example. Mr. Fields expresses himself completely with just how happy he is with the Sentimental Fool tour kicking off and how the new record of the same name has turned out. We get into how he and ‘Bosco Mann’ got back together and made the vision of one, the success of two. Oh…laugh when you’re happy.
Also premiering in November is the new Lee Fields Documentary
[here’s a earlier conversation I had with the co-directors]
