Lee Fields has been turning out furiously funky soul records for the past few years. Looking at the man, you know he did not just pop up out of nowhere. Truth & Soul brings us this super sweet reissue of his first proper album. Let's Talk It Over dropped at the end of the 70s when the rest of the world had already gone disco. Fields was holding it down with a healthy dose of southern soul as evidenced by the cuts on this album. Originally released on the tiny Angle 3 label, his debut was met with little fanfare. In fact, the label was so small they could not even afford to produce their own cover art. Copies were mostly sold by Fields out of the trunk of his car at shows, and the original pressings that are still around catch some mighty coin when they change hands. With Fields' recent success it's only fitting that we have the chance to hear this original outing again. The good dudes at Truth & Soul have given Let's Talk It Over proper cover art and included a bunch of hard to find Fields cuts on a second LP. The sound is raw as ever and may give some of the contemporary Fields tracks a run for their money. Deluxe edition includes bonus tracks previously on available as 45 singles from Lee Fields catalog and free MP3 download.

• music label: Truth & Soul 2013

reviewed by Michu Meszaros 07/2013