Amos Lee (born June 22, 1977 as Ryan Anthony Massaro is an American singer-songwriter whose musical style encompasses folk, rock and soul. He was born in Philadelphia and graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in English. After working as a schoolteacher and bartender he began to pursue a career in music. His manager submitted a demo recording to Blue Note Records which resulted in a recording contract and an association with Norah Jones. Since that time Lee has recorded four albums on Blue Note Records and has toured as an opening act for Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, Van Morrison, John Prine, Dave Matthews Band, Adele, the Zac Brown Band, and The Avett Brothers. His music has appeared on the soundtracks of numerous TV shows and movies. He has performed on several late night TV shows and at a voter registration rally for Barack Obama. In 2011, his album Mission Bell debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and his music has been described as "1970s folk rock and rustic soul". – WIKI
On the title track to his sophomore effort, Supply and Demand, singer/songwriter Amos Lee sings, "Baby I need a plan to help me understand, that life ain't only supply and demand." If the supply and demand Lee is referring to is money, success, and power -- and it clearly is -- then the stuff he truly values here is the currency of freedom, love, and sympathy for your fellow man. It's just such yin-yang subject matter that has driven folksingers to set struggle to melody ever since Depression-era scufflers like Woody Guthrie pointed out how America was technically "made for you and me" and not just those in the nice suits. For the most part, Lee is on about the same stuff here, although his vantage point is the more stylish, if no less lonely, tour bus and not a dust bowler's flatbed truck. Nonetheless, Lee is a heartfelt songwriter with an R&B crooner's sense of romance and drama and a real knack for turning his own ennui into anthems for the average guy. He tackles wars of various stripes on "Freedom" and like John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change," the song finds Lee deftly threading the political needle with lines like "Don't want to blame the rich for what they got or point a finger at the poor for what they have not" and "Freedom is seldom found by beatin' someone to the ground." It's a catchy stump speech of a tune and, three songs in, lifts the album up from just pleasant into something truly welcome and unexpected. Similarly engaging is the sanguine, slow ballad "Careless," which mixes the Band's "The Night We Drove Old Dixie Down" and Crosby, Stills & Nash's "Helpless" into a gut-wrenching and artful self-indictment of infidelity. However, it's the low-key and darkly sweet "Night Train" that should remain as not just the album's best cut, but Lee's signature song. Hypnotically simple, the song hangs on the chorus with Lee's candid omission, "I've been workin' on a night train/Drinkin' coffee, takin' cocaine/I'm out here on my night train/Tryin' to get her safely home." It's a hushed, rhythmically propulsive song filled with dramatic tension that is beautifully colored by shimmers of organ and lush guitars. On an album all about what's been bought and sold, both personally and collectively, it shows how in tune Lee is with this land of ours and how good he is at selling his soul in the best possible way. © Matt Collar © 2013 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/supply-and-demand-mw0000557829
Brilliant modern folk with touches of jazz, soul and R&B from a hugely talented songwriter and musician. Great to hear that meaningful songs like this are being composed in the 2000’s. This is an intelligent, well constructed album with wonderful musicianship and HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Amos’ 2005 s/t album on Blue Note. Support real music [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 86.2 Mb]
TRACKS
1 Shout Out Loud
2 Sympathize
3 Freedom
4 Careless
5 Skipping Stone
6 Supply and Demand
7 Sweet Pea
8 Night Train
9 Southern Girl
10 The Wind
11 Long Line of Pain
All songs written by Amos Lee
MUSICIANS
Amos Lee – Guitar, Tenor & Baritone Guitar, Vocorgan, Drums, Vocals
Nate Skiles – Guitar, Mandolin, Background Vocals
Greg Leisz – Steel Guitar
Jaron Olevsky – Bass Guitar, Piano, Background Vocals
Barrie Maguire – Bass Guitar
David Kalish – Dobro
John Austin Hughes – Ukulele
Chris Joyner – Hammond B3, Wurlitzer
Fred Berman – Drums, Background Vocals
Pete Thomas – Drums
Lizz Wright, Priscilla Ahn – Background Vocals
SHORT BIO
With his laid-back vocal delivery and acoustic songwriting, Amos Lee draws inspiration from soul music, contemporary jazz, and '70s folk artists like James Taylor. The Philadelphia native first became serious about performing while attending the University of South Carolina during the mid-'90s. After graduating with a degree in English, he 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. He eventually landed some high-profile gigs as an opening act, including an extended tour with pianist/vocalist Norah Jones, whose bassist, Lee Alexander, agreed to produce Lee's first album. With Alexander's help, Amos Lee released his self-titled debut on Blue Note in 2005. The album won Lee a small following for his blend of acoustic funk, folk, and light jazz, and he returned one year later with a sophomore effort, Supply and Demand. Last Days at the Lodge followed in 2008, cracking the Top 40 upon its release and becoming Lee's highest-charting album to date. His audience grew accordingly, prompting Lee to ask some of his most famous fans -- including Willie Nelson, Iron & Wine's Sam Beam, Calexico, and Lucinda Williams -- to appear on his next record. The result, Mission Bell, was recorded in 2010 with Calexico's Joey Burns producing, and released early the following year. In 2012, Lee delivered the EP As the Crow Flies featuring previously unreleased songs recorded during the Mission Bell sessions. © Matt Collar © 2013 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/amos-lee-mn0000264499
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