AMOS LEE

For better or worse, singer/songwriter Amos Lee has been called the "male version of Norah Jones." Whether that translates as praise or damnation obviously depends on your personal feelings for (or against) Ms. Jones. But that description is clearly meant to suggest that Lee's work thus far in his young career fits comfortably into the same smooth/clean/calculated/controlled/accomplished box that Jones works so well within. In this context, to be all-inclusive and non-threatening is a huge part of the game-plan - with the selling of boatloads of records the ultimate goal.

Amos Lee's sophomore full-length, Supply and Demand, will be released by Blue Note Records on October 3. As was the case with his debut, it's difficult not to name-check Bill Withers and James Taylor while listening to Lee's particular brand of soulful folk. Carefree, easy-goin' tunes like the title track cast him as a tie-dyed, Haight-Ashbury busker circa 1970, while slower cuts like "Careless" evoke some of the same angels-on-high ache that Bobby Womack and Marvin Gaye were so natural at channeling.

[I loathe Jay Leno, but Amos Lee will be performing the single, "Shout Out Loud," on The Tonight Show tonight (Thursday). So tune in with about five minutes left in the show for that (and then watch Conan).]

[Apparently, that same song will be featured tonight on the new ABC show Six Degrees at 10 PM.]

See Amos Lee's October concert dates below. Visit his MySpace page to see more.

Oct 12 8:00P/Variety Playhouse/Atlanta, GA
Oct 13 8:00P/Music Farm/Charleston, SC
Oct 14 7:30P/Cannery Row/Nashville, TN
Oct 16 8:00P/Orange Peel/Asheville, NC
Oct 17 8:00P/Attucks Theatre/Norfolk, VA
Oct 19 8:00P/Cat's Cradle/Carrboro, NC
Oct 20 8:00P/Recher Theater/Baltimore, MD
Oct 21 8:00P/9:30 Club/Washington , DC
Oct 24 8:00P/Town Hall/New York, NY
Oct 27 8:00P/Stone Pony/Asbury Park, NJ
Oct 28 8:00P/Iron Horse/Northampton, MA
Oct 29 8:00P/Somerville Theatre/Boston, MA
Oct 30 8:00P/HG Showcase Lounge/Burlington, VT

[MP3] "Supply and Demand"

[MP3] "Careless"