It’s been a decade since Blue Note Records signed Amos Lee and put out his self-titled EP. Since then, the Folk/Soul singer/songwriter has yet to disappoint. With a voice that could cut through any venue’s rattle-and-rush, and lyrics and stories that seem just right coming from a former teacher, Lee hooks a finger into the listener’s shirt collar and pulls them closer.
After scoring a No. 1 album with Mission Bell in 2011, Lee headed to a studio in Nashville and pulled in producer Jay Joyce to try something different. Using his touring band for the first time, plus a slew of guest musicians (including Alison Krauss and Patty Griffin), the result was last year’s Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song, a slice of sonic perfection.
The album’s single “Chill in the Air” (featuring Krauss) alludes to a cheating wife with lines like, “With evidence and the crime you confessed.” Supposedly, the oh-so-Country tale of the scorned and aching lover is based on a friend’s crumbling relationship. Still, the sorrow in Lee’s voice is so convincing, it makes you question the condition of the singer’s own heart.
This summer, Lee will hit the festival circuit in the States. Or you can avoid the stinking hippies and let him break your heart at the Taft.
AMOS LEE plays the Taft Theatre on Friday, March 7. Tickets/more info here .
