In 2011, the world saw the glorious stage persona of Charles Bradley come alive, thanks mostly to the amazing musicians of his future band. The Menahan Street Band, together with the revivalist Brooklyn label Daptone Records, made sure Bradley’s amazing life story got a chance to be told. After a lifetime of struggle, Charles Bradley’s ominous lyrics and amazing voice in his soul masterpiece No Time For Dreaming (2011) finally garnered him the recognition he deserved.

Perhaps Lee Fields isn’t as overlooked as Bradley, due in part to the fact that he’s actually been releasing albums since the 1960s, but both have strong connections to the godfather of soul, James Brown. Bradley did Brown impersonations for over three decades, and Lee Fields is often referred to as ”Little JB” because of his physical and vocal resemblance to the legend. But on his own, Fields’ funkadelic soul is just as good as anything out there – heartache and pain, channelled through authentic tunes.

Lee Fields and The Expressions are at Nalen on  June 12.