“Faithful Man” is the kind of swelling musical tidal wave that’s great for opening a record and closing a show. Soul singer extraordinaire Lee Fields, of course, knows this, making the lead-off and title track to his latest record the climax of a thrilling First Night concert Monday in New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall.

Fields, whose career began in the late 1960s, is enjoying a revival that blossomed when he teamed with Truth and Soul records and its house band, the Expressions, young R&B acolytes who play with an intensity and acumen steeped in respect.