Last Days At the Lodge

On his new album Last Days at the Lodge, Amos Lee plays it all close to the chest. The melodies sound familiar, the lyrics sound familiar, and it all sounds like Lee is only half-interested in the songs he's singing. Many of the songs just sound tired and old hat. There are some exceptions, and his voice is still magnificent. I personally liked the songs Won't Let Me Go, and Kid, which is simple but inspiring. Overall, however, the album left me wanting more and missing his previous album, Supply and Demand.

This is a decent album. Especially after seeing him perform most of these songs live. However it falls a little short of his first two releases in that it just doesn't have the same vibe. After I saw him live performing many of the songs off this CD, I went out and got this record asap only to be a little bummed out in that it was much different that the live versions. I really appreciate Amos and his ability to transform a song to fit the mood of his audience in a live performance. In this case, I just wish he would have put that same vibe into the recorded version. But like I said, this is still a good record as you really can't miss with Amos. His vocals alone are worth the money and his amazing songwriting and composition are like getting a free bonus.

It's been a long time since I've really let a new artist into my orbit, and I know Amos Lee is not exactly new, but I think he's amazing. He blends some street-funk sensibilities with folk-pop-rock, and I listen to Last Days at the Lodge over and over. The lyrics are intelligent, his voice is warm and inviting, even reminding me of Al Green on songs like "I Wanna Know". I highly recommend this album, and all of Amos Lee's work.

Last Days at the Lodge is a wonderful disc, with songs of all variety plus the soulful, memorable voice of Amos Lee and his beautiful lyrics.

First saw this guy on a TV programme "Live from Abbey Road" singing Southern Girl, loved it, just like the way he puts it out. Not going to itemise each track, but just have to say that with each album he gets better & better. This album has a slightly different feel, & is possibley more of a listener.