Amos Lee

Amos Lee - Amos Lee - 2005 - Blue Note Records

With a dusky soul voice and a knack for literate, thoughtful lyrics, singer/songwriter Amos Lee is a throwback to a more organic-sounding pop time period. Calling to mind a mix of Bill Withers, Arthur Lee, and James Taylor, Lee croons through his mellow eponymous debut with a singular sense of his time and place that adds weight to his already heartfelt songs. Much like Taylor's Sweet Baby James and Withers' Still Bill, Amos Lee is an album about an artist's life and loves in a world that often seems at odds with his desires. On "Arms of a Woman," Lee sings "I am at ease in the arms of a woman/Although now most of my days are spent alone/A thousand miles from the place I was born/But when she wakes she takes me back home." Similarly, the darkly evocative "Black River" has Lee in a gospel mood, drawing comparisons between a swift-moving river, God, and whiskey, while the brisk country-rock-inflected "Love in the Lies" finds him proclaiming that "The world ain't no harder than it's ever been/Lookin' for love in the lies of a lonely friend." For all intents and purposes with Lee, Blue Note has found the male Norah Jones. In fact, Jones guests here and, interestingly, on "Colors," Lee sings about getting "lost in the circus" — one wonders if Blue Note hopes that Jones' "house of fun" is close by. Joining in are other members of the Blue Note extended family, including Jones' longtime bassist Lee Alexander, guitarist Kevin Breit, and others. The result is an album not dissimilar to Jones' multiple Grammy-winning Come Away With Me, as Wurlitzer and Hammond organs pipe softly next to acoustic guitars, allowing Lee to glide on top of a wave of tasteful coffeehouse soul. While the comparison is mostly positive, it does pose one rub in that even Come Away With Me, while unfailingly intimate and classy, was somewhat calculated to be beautifully crafted, deeply emotional wallpaper, and Amos Lee holds to that template. Which basically means that, despite Lee's stellar melodic abilities, the arrangements are often too low-key for their own good. That said, Lee has a phenomenal voice matched by a journeyman's sense of songcraft that is just too good to go unnoticed. © Matt Collar © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fpftxq8sldae

Though Amos Lee's music is frequently described as a fusion of folk and soul, such an equation fails to reflect the singular artistry of this impressive debut. Like labelmate Norah Jones (who guests on two cuts), the Philadelphia singer-songwriter recognizes the power of simplicity, distilling an emotional essence that cuts across categories. The opening of his "Seen It All Before" echoes Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"; the stunning "Arms of a Woman" channels Otis Redding's "I've Got Dreams to Remember"; "Give It Up" cuts a classic Bill Withers groove; "Black River" has the sound of an age-old spiritual; and the closing "All My Friends" follows Van Morrison into the mystic. Throughout the song cycle, the bare-bones arrangements behind Lee's vocal flutter reinforce an organic unity that transcends genre. For all of the debts he owes to the music of the 1960s and '70s, the results sound timeless rather than retro. In his cautionary "Soul Suckers," Lee sings that "nothing is more powerful than beauty in a wicked world"--and proceeds to prove it. © Don McLeese [Editorial Review] © 1996-2010, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. http://www.amazon.com/Amos-Lee/dp/B00070G6Y2

Good album from the talented Philadelphian, Amos Lee, featuring eleven original songs which encompass R&B, soul, country, gospel, folk, and jazz. Amos has been consistently compared to to the musical styles of artists like Jackson Brown, Eric Bibb, James Taylor, Bill Withers, and Norah Jones. There are definite comparisons, but the guy is a good songwriter, musician, and vocalist. He has his own style, and this album holds up very well. Check out his "Supply And Demand", and "Last Days At The Lodge" albums

TRACKS

1."Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight" – 3:08
2."Seen It All Before" – 4:15
3."Arms of a Woman" – 4:11
4."Give It Up" – 2:38
5."Dreamin'" – 2:54
6."Soul Suckers" – 2:49
7."Colors" – 2:40
8."Bottom of the Barrel" – 2:00
9."Black River" – 3:31
10."Love in the Lies" – 3:23
11."All My Friends" – 4:18

All songs composed by Amos Lee

MUSICIANS

Amos Lee - Guitar, vocals
Kevin Breit - Acoustic guitar, mandolin, resonator guitar
Adam Levy - Electric guitar, Background vocals
Chris Thomas, Jaron Olevsky - Bass guitar
Lee Alexander - Bass guitar, drums
Devin Greenwood - Hammond organ, background vocals, Wurlitzer
Norah Jones - Piano, background vocals, Wurlitzer
Fred Berman - Drums, background vocals
Dan Rieser, James Gadson - Drums
Larry Gold - Cello, string Arrangements
Alexandra Leem - Viola
Nate Skiltes - Mandolin
Zara Bodé - Background vocals

SHORT BIO

Singer/songwriter Amos Lee draws inspiration from such soul and folk artists of the '70s as Bill Withers, John Prine, Neil Young, and James Taylor. The Philadelphia native first became serious about performing while attending the University of South Carolina during the mid-'90s. After graduating, the English major taught elementary school before deciding to pursue a music career full-time. A period of waiting tables and bartending followed as Lee honed his songwriting skills. Eventually, he landed some high-profile opening-slot gigs including an extended tour with pianist/vocalist Norah Jones. He released his eponymous debut album on Blue Note in 2005 and his sophomore effort, Supply and Demand, in 2006. Last Days at the Lodge followed in 2008. © Matt Collar © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wjfuxqwald0e

BIO (WIKIPEDIA)

Amos Lee (born June 20, 1978 is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His musical style encompasses folk, soul, and jazz. He has released three albums on Blue Note Records, Amos Lee, Supply and Demand and Last Days at the Lodge. He has been on tour with musicians such as Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, John Prine, and Dave Matthews Band. Lee performs with drummer Fred Berman and bassist Jaron Olevsky. Some of his musical influences include Stevie Wonder, John Prine, Bill Withers, and James Taylor. Born Ryan Massaro on June 20, 1978, Lee grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He graduated from Cherry Hill High School East. He enrolled at the University of South Carolina in 1995, graduating with an English degree. While attending the university, Lee's stepfather gave him an acoustic guitar. Lee also found a job at a record store that specialized in jazz musicians, where he picked up an affinity for Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis. After college, he moved back to Philadelphia and taught elementary school for two years, but later made the decision to stop teaching in order to pursue a career in music. Lee released a self-produced EP that featured five songs in 2003, and was signed by Blue Note Records soon afterward. The EP sold well in Philadelphia, catching the attention of Norah Jones. Jones invited Lee to open for her on her 2004 tour. Lee has also taken part in shows with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Paul Simon and John Prine. Some people think his music is a mixture of Folk and R&B. He has publicly said, "I've always gone for that folky-R&B sound for my music." Lee Alexander, the bassist in Norah Jones' band, produced Amos Lee's self-titled debut album, which was released in March 2005. Norah Jones made an appearance on several of the tracks, playing piano and contributing vocals. The album found significant commercial success, hitting a peak of #2 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. Later that month he was named one of Rolling Stone's "Top 10 Artists to Watch." To promote the album, Lee performed on popular television shows such as The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Total Request Live, and Austin City Limits, the latter on August 10, 2005, which was also aired on PBS on November 11 of that year. In March and April 2005, Lee opened for Merle Haggard and Bob Dylan. Lee's song "Colors" was featured on House, and on the finale of the second season of Grey's Anatomy. It was also used in the 2005 movie Just Like Heaven, which featured Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. The songs "Colors" and "Sympathize" were also used in episodes of the first season of abc's "Brothers & Sisters". Lee's songs "Shout Out Loud" and "Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight" were both used during the ABC show Six Degrees. "Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight" was also heard during NBC's Studio 60. NBC also utilised Lee's "Seen It All Before" on an episode of their widely-acclaimed ER primetime drama series. The song "Colors" was also featured on the second season of the Lifetime's Army wives. Lee's second album, titled Supply and Demand, was released on October 3, 2006 in the United States. The album was produced by Natalie Merchant's bassist Barrie Maguire, and peaked at #76 on the Billboard 200. Jazz singer Lizz Wright contributed background vocals on the song "Freedom". The first single from the album is "Shout Out Loud." To promote the album, Lee played on The Tonight Show on September 28, 2006. The track "Skipping Stone" also played on the ER episode "Dying Is Easy" (originally aired February 8, 2007). The song "Sweet Pea" was also featured in December 2007 in television commercials for AT&T. Lee's third studio album, Last Days at the Lodge, was released on June 24, 2008. The first single off the album is "Listen". The track "What's Been Going On" has also gained moderate success among radio stations. Lee has stated that he will be going into the studio in May 2010 to begin work on his fourth studio album which is due out in the fall. Amos Lee recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios in the summer of 2006 for Live from Abbey Road. His performance was screened on the Sundance Channel in the USA and Channel 4 in the UK in an episode also featuring Randy Crawford and Joe Sample and David Gilmour. There are also two short live recordings available from KCRW, one released in November 2005 and the other in March 2007 (available digitally).