I first heard of Amos Lee a few years ago when a friend of mine, who had a crush on him, gushed incessantly about him. I listened to some of his songs and liked what I heard, but when my friend and I lost touch, I forgot about Mr. Lee.
I am regretting that very much.
I put Mission Bell into my computer, and sank into my bed on this cool winter eve, which was the perfect choice for listening to this record. Mr. Lee is blessed with a languid, bluesy voice which flows over you like a gentle river. In fact, at the end, it took me a few minutes to realize the music had finished, not because I wasn’t paying attention, but because I was lulled into such a restful state that I simply did not notice.
For anyone who is a fan of Norah Jones’ style of music, Amos Lee will be for you. It therefore should be of no surprise that the two have collaborated together a multitude of times in the past. This album however contains a different group of collaborators, including the inimitable country legends Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams. This collection touches on a variety of different musical styles, from the aforementioned country, as well as jazz to hip hop, blues and rock, all while retaining Mr. Lee’s signature folky soul sound. His is prime music for listeners who like their music soothing like a cup of warm chamomile tea.
The strongest song on the album, Jesus, has an up-tempo beat and the soulful sensibility of a spiritual that allows the listener to feel he or she is in Church right next to Mr. Lee as he prays like a man who has lost everything but his sense of prayer. He is a man on his knees begging for salvation. It then backs into Hello Again, a laconic jazz standard number.
The smooth nature of the music belies the sad and sometimes pained tone of the lyrics such as on Learned A Lot in which the narrator tells his long-gone lover that despite the ending of their relationship, that he appreciates the relationship for what it taught him.
Clear Blue Eyes is a beautiful collaboration with Lucinda Williams, a plaintive paean to a lover who has been abused terribly in the past, breaking the heart of the narrator who wants nothing more than to erase these wrongs and care for the tortured lover. It would be perfectly suited for a soundtrack, if it hasn’t already been chosen as such. The album closes out as it started with a reprise of the song El Camino in a duet between Mr. Lee and Willie Nelson. Their voices have different timbres and one might be tempted to think they come from different genres, but the song is a perfect melding of two very different and yet uniquely gifted voices in a lovely and smooth exit of a wonderful and soothing album.
Amos Lee's Mission Bell is available for purchase starting January 25th, 2011.
I am regretting that very much.
I put Mission Bell into my computer, and sank into my bed on this cool winter eve, which was the perfect choice for listening to this record. Mr. Lee is blessed with a languid, bluesy voice which flows over you like a gentle river. In fact, at the end, it took me a few minutes to realize the music had finished, not because I wasn’t paying attention, but because I was lulled into such a restful state that I simply did not notice.
For anyone who is a fan of Norah Jones’ style of music, Amos Lee will be for you. It therefore should be of no surprise that the two have collaborated together a multitude of times in the past. This album however contains a different group of collaborators, including the inimitable country legends Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams. This collection touches on a variety of different musical styles, from the aforementioned country, as well as jazz to hip hop, blues and rock, all while retaining Mr. Lee’s signature folky soul sound. His is prime music for listeners who like their music soothing like a cup of warm chamomile tea.
The strongest song on the album, Jesus, has an up-tempo beat and the soulful sensibility of a spiritual that allows the listener to feel he or she is in Church right next to Mr. Lee as he prays like a man who has lost everything but his sense of prayer. He is a man on his knees begging for salvation. It then backs into Hello Again, a laconic jazz standard number.
The smooth nature of the music belies the sad and sometimes pained tone of the lyrics such as on Learned A Lot in which the narrator tells his long-gone lover that despite the ending of their relationship, that he appreciates the relationship for what it taught him.
Clear Blue Eyes is a beautiful collaboration with Lucinda Williams, a plaintive paean to a lover who has been abused terribly in the past, breaking the heart of the narrator who wants nothing more than to erase these wrongs and care for the tortured lover. It would be perfectly suited for a soundtrack, if it hasn’t already been chosen as such. The album closes out as it started with a reprise of the song El Camino in a duet between Mr. Lee and Willie Nelson. Their voices have different timbres and one might be tempted to think they come from different genres, but the song is a perfect melding of two very different and yet uniquely gifted voices in a lovely and smooth exit of a wonderful and soothing album.
Amos Lee's Mission Bell is available for purchase starting January 25th, 2011.
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