01. Just Can’t Win
02. Magnolia
03. Paralyzed
04. Standing By Your Side
05. Eye To Eye
06. In The Woods
07. All I Need
08. Still Gets Me Down
09. Talk To Somebody
10. Stone Angel
11. Don’t Leave Me This Way

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Emma Jean is the follow up to Fields’ widely praised first two Truth & Soul albums: 2009’s My World and 2012’s Faithful Man. Lee Fields & The Expressions have forged a distinct soulful sound and a grown style with this album. They’ve pushed their sound in new directions, moving from being content as contemporary soul music royalty and instead delving into and exploring its next steps. There’s a sharper wisdom in the songwriting, from the having loved, lost, and learned vibe of “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” backed by crooning guitar and wailing horns, to the sophisticated arrangements and studio acumen that’s pared with Lee’s straightforward sincerity in “Just Can’t Win.” Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys wrote “Paralyzed,” and having Emma Jean mixed and partially recorded at his Nashville studio, country soul and bluesy rock are immediately noticeable. It brings a different kind of strut to the album, but Fields (born and raised in North Carolina) is right at home with the Southern soul sound. In fact, it feels like a natural progression: an organic, refreshingly pure next step.