Spotlight on Amos Lee - P.A.W. Print - Philadelphia Arts Writers

Musician Amos Lee, a Philadelphia native, has returned to his hometown after five months on the road. Fresh from opening for Norah Jones during her international tour, Lee has been in the studio recording his first full-length CD. Recording the as-yet untitled album was "a labor of love" says Lee. "I enjoyed making the CD. I had a lot of input. There were three of us: Lee Alexander [Norah Jones' bass player], Daniel Kopelson the engineer, and myself." Lee has two self-titled EP's out as well.

Recording the new CD was a different experience than Lee endured while outputting his two previous EP's, "I just finished the full-length CD [with Blue Note Records]. I have two EP's independently recorded. Recording the first EP, we laid down the musical parts separately. For the second EP, all the songs were recorded live. This CD is a balance between the two."

The musicians selected for the CD were also a balance. Lee explains, "[There were] a bunch of musicians from Philly, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. Half were [Lee's] friends and half were picked by the label." Lee continues, "The real reason I signed to Blue Note Records was to make the best music and the best songs. Blue Note is true to the music." Blue Note helped Lee with the distribution of his second EP.

Undecided regarding which songs will be on the debut album, Lee says, "There will be new and old tunes. Not all the songs have been selected yet." Lee mentioned the cover songs Arms of a Woman and Sam Cooke's A Change is Gonna Come are being considered. The CD will be released in Europe in January and in America in February.

Touring with Norah Jones was Lee's first tour experience. "The schedule has been grueling. Every musician has a duality. They don't want to travel. They want to be alone. They want to travel and do what they love. This tour has helped me understand how music and musicians are made." Lee will be heading out once again to open for Jones during her North American tour, which occurs between August and October.


Amos Lee. photo, Denise Bashore

Having savored every stop on the international tour, Lee says his solo gigs in England were special. "I was able to develop a very passionate foundation there," says Lee who explains that he does not know when he will have his own solo tour, but hopes "not [to be] opening for someone else forever." After Jones' North American tour concludes, Lee says he will embrace the time to tour during November and December of 2004. He expects to have promotional tours when the CD is released in early 2005.

Only six months ago, Lee was tending bar at the Tin Angel. This month, Lee played at the Tin Angel to a sold out crowd. During the summer of 2003, Lee was working on the artist security force at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. This summer, Lee was the opening act at WXPN's Singer Songwriter Festival 2004. Lee will be back in Philadelphia on September 4, 2004 opening for Norah Jones at the Mann Music Center. More information can be found at www.amoslee.com.

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