HONEY DOVE

HONEY DOVE by Lee Fields & The Expressions.

Screw up your ears a bit and you can almost hear this as Al Green circa I'm So Tired Of Being Alone. But this is a little rougher than anything Al Green ever did. Amazingly enough, even though it sounds like it dates from the same time (or earlier) as "Gets Next To You," it dates from around 1999. And, it might even be better!

Seriously, this is a great song! Fields doesn't have the honey or smoothness that Green has, but what his vocal does have is complete conviction. He sings/pleads/shouts for her, and you can't imagine how he ever lost her in the first place. As a counterpoint, the trebly, swinging lead is as elegant as the vocal is raw. But the high point is when the horns burst in and carry the track to the fadeout. It gave me chills the first time I heard it!

Ever since I picked this track up off of Soul Sides, I've been trying to hunt down information on Lee Fields or the Expressions, but to little avail. The album was released on a label that folded and now the only copy I can find is only available for $60. That's why I don't feel too bad recycling this track--I really doubt any of you have heard it, and you need to hear it. But if you have have heard it, maybe you can tell me more about it!

LISTEN.

Photo: Buffalo Bill (2).