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Critiques CD: Lee Fields & The Expressions  | Faithful Man

Lee Fields has been faithful to soul music for over 40 years and it’s a marriage made in heaven for this soul survivor pleadingly singing the gospel of lost love. Fields’ world weary voice squeezes the drama out of every story he sings, with big, dense arrangements of horns, strings and backup vocals emphasizing the grand scale of his torment. The arrangements can be almost overwhelming at times but, when The Experience steps outside the formula and lets Fields breath, magic happens. “Moonlight Mile” stands out (and the sitar is a lovely touch), as does “You’re The Right Kind of Girl”.

Critiques CD: Fanfarlo | Rooms Filled With Light

Fanfarlo is England’s answer to the North American orchestral pop phenomenon. Their first full-length, Reservoir (2009), is at some points a  dead-ringer for the Balkan-inspired Beirut and at others a straight-up Arcade Fire doppelgänger – “Drowning Men” practically synchs up with “Rebellion (Lies)”. Rooms Filled With Light doesn’t move far out of this referential shadow, but makes things more interesting by injecting some Talking Heads danceability into their previously more folk-pop sound. There is another striking moment of déja entendu – “Deconstruction” synchs almost perfectly with “Keep The Car Running” (Neon Bible) – but move past the inconspicuous stylistic influences and the album is totally enjoyable in its own right.

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