AMOS LEE - Mountains Of Sorrow, Rivers Of Song

One gets the impression that with "Mountains Of Sorrow, Rivers Of Song", Amos Lee doesn't entirely want to make his real artistic identity clear. On his fifth studio outing, he keeps exploring different styles of writing and arrangement without recapturing the magic of his debut, the one that made Norah Jones fall in love with him.

The rock-roots touch of "Stranger" and the nod to the Band in "The Man Who Wants You" are vigorous and engaging, and the soul of "Loretta" (Al Green meets Aaron Neville) draws more than a smile and a few lukewarm cheers, but Amos seems to struggle somewhat to keep his mix of blues, soul and country in check without a production able to rein in the many variables of his current artistic makeup.

Truth be told, when the notes of "Chill In The Air" take shape, one is briefly enchanted by the passion of his music, and the closing "Burden" is breathtaking with its languid steel guitar sound and percussion: this is the sonic territory where Amos Lee moves with the most conviction and grace, but the album also makes clear his desire to explore new fronts.

For instance, "Scamps" is a thoroughly enjoyable honky-tonk number and "High Water" reworks blues conventions with an obsessive, almost funky riff that stimulates and intrigues, but it's on "Indonesia" that the songwriter finds the winning idea to give new shape to his darker, more melancholy side, with excellent injections of experimental textures that lift the track out of anonymity.

The country-soul grace of "Johnson Blvd", the refined fingerpicking of "Dresser Drawer" (a bitter reflection on the hardships of married life) and the roots-folk of "Mountains of Sorrow" explore the roots of American music with more conviction than in the past, helped along by a cast of skilled musicians.

At times nostalgic and at others searching for a new, more complex identity, Amos Lee has put together an album that is nonetheless worthwhile, if lacking the innovative force needed to win over new converts. Still, "Mountains Of Sorrow, Rivers Of Song" is unlikely to disappoint fans of the American musician.

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27/04/2014