Amos Lee has a penchant for tugging at heartstrings. His skillful songwriting and powerful acoustic guitar playing are suitable for any time of day and could appropriately narrate any moment in life.
And just as his music yearns to be mix-taped into someone’s life soundtrack, Lee’s upcoming release Mission Bell simply begs to be included in the soundtrack of a film, too. Moving, mellow and thoughtful, Lee’s sweet melodies speak directly to the soul – and ear – in ways that are pleasantly consistent with Lee’s three previous studio albums.
His work has indeed been incorporated into the soundtracks of well-known movies, including “My Blueberry Nights,” starring fellow folk-jazz musician Norah Jones, and Madison-set “The Last Kiss.” On Mission Bell, tracks such as “Violin,” “Stay With Me” and the album’s opener, “El Camino,” are examples of some of these slower, lyrical songs, all of which could easily be candidates for Zach Braff’s next delightfully eclectic soundtrack (read: “Garden State”).
Thankfully, Mission Bell departs from its potential to be an album filled with only beautiful tearjerkers, and surprises the listener with some fresher sounds. Lee introduces Latin-inspired trumpets on “Hello Again,” and even features Willie Nelson on a reprise of the album’s opening track. Mission Bell reads as a creative example of this Renaissance man – which Lee proves himself to be – showing off his skills.
A folk and soul-inspired album to be sure, Mission Bell does an exceptional job of including something for listeners from all walks of life.
Lyrically, “Windows Rolled Down” is the best example of Lee’s truly rocking vocals. To kick off the track, he begs, “Look up child / The world is born / Shoe’s untied / And your soles are worn.” This kind of spiritual freedom, married with a subtle focus on the natural world, is a theme that is at the core of the album, which sends a largely positive message throughout.
One of the only valleys on this album filled with mountainous successes is the track titled “Flower.” To make the song bearable as a listener, it is almost necessary to take the lyrics as nothing more than a joke. Lee starts the song with an unusually cheesy few lines, beginning “My heart is a flower / That blooms every hour / I believe in the power / Of love.” These several phrases would sound more at home in a 1970s pop ballad than in a track on this experienced musician’s latest effort.
But it seems Lee makes up for this one low point in every other way. It makes all the musical sense in the world that he records for Blue Note Records, because he has always been visibly influenced by great soul singers such as Bill Withers, and that motivation is clear on Mission Bell. His voice may also be compared to the smooth crooning of James Taylor, but he successfully avoids ripping off any of his muses in producing this solid fourth album.
This young man from Philadelphia first picked up a guitar while studying English at the University of South Carolina, and the world got lucky. Beginning with his self-titled first album in 2005, Lee’s lyrics have developed out of a clearly intellectual background, and that element of his music – combined with his masterful handle on the acoustic guitar – come together beautifully in the nearly error-free Mission Bell.
4 out 5 stars
