9/8/08: Today I had the great pleasure of speaking with, and seeing in concert, a great, great new voice in the world of rock/blues/soul: Amos Lee. Having just said Amos is a "new voice," actually, his voice harkens back to an amazing combination of Curtis Mayfield-meets-Marvin Gaye-meets-Al Green-meets-Teddy Pendergrass-meets-Stevie Wonder-meets well, AMOS LEE! His current album, Last Days at the Lodge, contains an array of great tracks that span romantic soul ("Won't Let Me Go," "Baby I Want You"), to poignant protest ("Jails and Bombs") to good old fashion broken heart ballads ("What's Been Going On").
In person, Amos couldn't be nicer, more soft spoken, more intelligent and more interesting to talk to, which I did in a tiny dressing room in the basement of the Music Box on Hollywood Blvd. Topics we discussed include the album's producer (Don Was), the lightening speed in which the music business is changing, crossing that friends-to-lovers bridge in the album's first hit, "Won't Let Me Go," and dealing with the green monster, jealousy, in songs like "Truth" and "What's Been Going On." His answers were candid, delivered in a very low-key tone. In a nutshell, his offstage – or in the case of our conversation location, BELOW stage – personality matched the quiet confidence he displays onstage. His show was well, mesmerizing. One of the song titles on Amos' album sums up the way he conveys his message to his fans: "Street Corner Preachers." Do yourself a favor: pick up Last Days at the Lodge…TODAY…and pick up a ticket to his next concert. I can almost guarantee you will not be disappointed with both experiences!
Peace!
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