Soul Man

I was so excited for the one-two punch of soul music from Maylee Todd and Lee Fields Saturday night at The Great Hall that I pulled out the good suit. Sometimes you have to dress up, especially for a show with such a great vibe.

Duane Forrest was the early act at 9:30. This early, only 20 or so people showed to listen to his acoustic soul. Accompanied by a latin percussionist, he got the vibe going with some catchy tunes. He specialized in short staccato rhymes and a laid-back tropical feel to his songs.

Maylee came on at 10:30. It was relatively early for an evening set but the place was 3/4 full with the seats in the balcony also taken. It has been a while since I saw her with a full band. For tonight, she added a trombonist and a Jill-of-All-Trades backup singer/keys/sax/flute to her regular line-up. Those new to her music were pleasantly puzzled by her strap-on harp to start her set, but enjoyed her chill rhythm and clear voice. For the second (also slow-tempo) song, with her on piano and singing passionately "I did everything I could", they were starting to dance. By the time she sang the chorus to Hieroglyphics ("Everybody needs some mouth to mouth") or the slow-burn "I Try", people were either dancing deliriously, singing along, or vocally testifying. She debuted some very "sexy jams" (in her words) as well as a groovy take on Sesame Street's pinball song. When her set ended, with her in the middle of the crowd shouting out "Do You Know What It Is", most people knew who Maylee Todd was.

Lee Fields was a soul singer from the 70s who never got that big hit. When the 80s rolled around and musical tastes changed, he fell into obscurity and left the business. With current interests for that retro sound, his old albums became collector's items and his last album "My World" was a surprise hit. Being in demand, he recorded a second one "Faithful Man", and is currently selling out (if tonight's crowd is an indication). He drew on the new record to sing hurting songs such as "Faithful Man", "Still Hanging On", "Wish You Were Here", "Who Do You Love" or cocky ones like "I Still Got It" and "You're The Kind Of Girl". He also sang some old favourites from "My World" including the titular one and "Money Is King". He was the consummate showman engaging in smooth banter with young women on "Ladies", and often screaming out "I love you" to the crowd. His stage act may be well-practiced, but seeing a 62-year-old man drenched in sweat after singing and dancing for 1.5 hours, you can't deny his passion. He ended his encore with a cover of "Sunny" that started slow and sweet and finished big and exhilarating.

After several hours of dancing to wonderful music, I was also well-drenched. I'm going to have to add the cost of a dry-cleaning to tonight's outing. Worth every penny.