Track Listing
1. Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight
2. Seen It All Before
3. Arms of a Woman
4. Give It Up
5. Dreamin'
6. Soul Suckers
7. Colors
8. Bottom of the Barrel
9. Black River
10. Love in the Lies
11. All My Friends
| Details | | Contributing Artists: | Adam Levy, Kevin Breit, Lee Alexander, Norah Jones | | Producer: | Lee Alexander | | Distributor: | EMI Music Distribution | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Personnel: Amos Lee (vocals, guitar); Adam Levy (guitar, background vocals); Kevin Breit (acoustic guitar, resonator guitar, mandolin); Nate Skiles (mandolin); H.S. Alexandra Leem (viola); Larry Gold (cello); Norah Jones (piano, Wurlitzer piano, background vocals); Devin Greenwood (Wurlitzer piano, Hammond b-3 organ, background vocals); Lee Alexander (bass guitar, drum); Chris Thomas, Jaron Olevsky (bass guitar); James Gadson, Fred Berman (drums, background vocals); Dan Rieser (drums).
Recording information: The Magic Shop, New York, New York (2004); Sear Sound Studio, New York, New York (2004).
There's no denying that Norah Jones's name is thrown around a lot regarding her labelmate Amos Lee's Blue Note debut. Lee gained renown through touring with her, and Jones and her band are heard lending a hand on the album. Other than a tendency to keep things on the quiet side, though, the comparisons pretty much stop there. Where Jones's piano-based music draws heavily from her love of jazz standards, Lee is another story altogether. His combination of low-key folk-rock and old-school R&B positions him as something of a Bill Withers for the 21st century. Indeed, his silky/soulful voice and emotive, acoustic-guitar-based songs reveal a strong Withers influence, something all too rare in contemporary pop music, R&B or otherwise. Tracks such as "Arms of a Woman" reveal Lee to be a dyed-in-the-wool romantic, but "Bottom of the Barrel" and others indicate his ability to step outside of love-song tropes for a well-rounded songwriting approach.
Editorial Reviews
3 stars out of 5 - He's got a sly easy-on-the-ear voice that lies somewhere between Seal and James Taylor...
Uncut
[T]his Philly troubadour crafts concise, soulful songs with a warm palette of acoustic colors... - Grade: B+
Entertainment Weekly
3 stars out of 5 - His mix of acoustic guitar and R&B-bred singing is more reminiscent of Bill Withers or Tracy Chapman.
Rolling Stone
He utilizes his falsetto quivering voice in a very effective manner and will sometimes go into a scat style that has tinges of a jazz singer's delivery.
Dirty Linen
[S]tout in musicianship yet delicate in tone.
Vibe
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