Blue-eyed soul singers never go out of style, as evidenced by chart-topper Teddy Swims. The latest such crooner with golden pipes worth hearing is Fort Worth’s Michael Lee, who releases his new album, “Michael Lee & the Wartime Limousine,” on Oct. 30.
One of the year’s best local albums, it’s steeped in vintage Motown and Stax sounds, with finger-snapping horns and female backing vocals. “Starlight” and “Living High” venture into the Temptations’ psychedelic-soul turf, but Lee’s gritty singing and biting blues-rock guitar solos leave a distinct imprint. He’s also got a way with words: “Caught It” recounts his real-life pandemic romance, in which a two-week quarantine led to wedding bells.
An underage Lee learned his craft by sneaking into the Hole in the Wall on Harry Hines Boulevard to watch local blues masters like Lucky Peterson and Andrew “Jr. Boy” Jones. In 2018, he made it all the way to NBC’s “The Voice,” impressing Jennifer Hudson and other coaches with his version of B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone.”
Lee’s latest supporting cast hails from closer to home. The album was produced by the Silver Skylarks, the creative duo of Jeff “Skin” Wade and Danny Balis, who also plays bass throughout. Another Dallas veteran, Chad Stockslager, plays keyboards and co-wrote “Lesser Than a Better Man.”
“Michael Lee & the Wartime Limousine” was recorded at Fort Worth’s Niles City Sound, where Leon Bridges got his career rolling more than a decade ago.