We loves us some Amos Lee. He is one of the more soulful, powerful male singers we’ve heard in a while and he consistently puts out music that captures his style, emotion and fervor. He’s a man of many musical tastes which is exemplified in his music. You’ll hear the acoustic singer-songwriter background in just about every song, but he adds in splashes of blues, soul, R&B, country and folk to give a well-rounded signature sound that travels with him on every album he makes.
His latest release, Mission Bell, is no exception. It pulls in inspiration from all of these different styles and is absolutely Amos Lee. Admittedly I’ve always been a fan of the Philadelphian singer-songwriter, but something about the consistency in which he creates memorable albums is an accomplishment most artists can only aspire to. Many times when trying to explain his music to someone that has never heard it, I call him the male Norah Jones. He has a perfectly tuned voice that exemplifies the melody without overpowering the simple background accompaniment (which is most often just an acoustic guitar.)
If you haven’t heard of Amos Lee or simply haven’t gotten around to checking out his music, make this your New Year’s resolution. His self-titled album as well as his sophomore release Supply and Demand got me hooked and are guaranteed to get you hooked too.
Check out Mission Bell on:
Take a look back through our FreshScouts archives and it should be fairly clear that we love blues music. Storytellers that dwell in the pain and joy of life have a way of speaking directly to us. We proudly add bluesman Sean Costello to our archives. Costello was an incredibly talented young blues artist with a passion that flowed through every single note.
Sean Costello
At the ripe young age of sixteen, Sean Costello released his first blues album, Call the Cops. He immediately impacted the industry with his masterful command over the blues guitar. Costello’s riffs can make even the toughest man shed a tear. Costello didn’t stop there, he also dominated stages with gritty vocals and brutally honest song writing. He is often referenced as a true triple-threat in the blues industry. In his short career he worked with B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Susan Tedeschi, just to name a few. Costello churned out an incredible collection of music from 1996 to 2008.
Costello’s last album, We Can Get Together, was the one that introduced me to his genius. He was masterful on the album. You know, it still stings having to use the word “was” in reference to Costello. We lost a great musician in Sean Costello when he passed away do to an accidental overdose. It was after Costello’s sudden death in April 2008, that his family publicly shared that he had been suffering from Bipolar disorder. Sean’s music lives on, and thanks to his family a great organization spreads much needed awareness on the topic of Bipolar disorder. We here at FreshScouts ask that you check out The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research. An eye opening statistic from the site points out that “Bipolar disorder affects more than 2 million Americans - about 3 out of every 100 adults.” Enjoy Costello’s music and do what you can to educate yourself and those around you.
KC’s Personal Picks: “Hard Luck Woman”, “Told Me A Lie” and “Going Home”
Check out Costello’s 2007 live version of “Told Me A Lie”
We Can Get Together
So how about that Peter Gene Hernandez? He is really destroying the charts right now, huh? You have a weird look on your face. Maybe this will help. Peter Gene Hernandez = Bruno Mars. That simple mathematical principle proves that this Hawaiian born soulful cat is here to stay. Bruno Mars combines old school soul swagger with contemporary pop appeal. It has been scientifically proven that his voice is causing global warming; on account of it being so hot. Scientifically = some random lady I sat behind on the train who was gushing to her crew about Mars’ mad musical skills.
Peter Gene Hernandez = Bruno Mars
We here at FreshScouts have had Bruno Mars in our ears ever since we featured him in our Weekly Jukebox back in January. This cat is smashing up the charts right now with the ultimate love song, “Just the Way You Are”. But let’s not forget about his smooth collabo with Travie McCoy on “Billionaire” and his memorable hook on B.o.B.’s “Nothin’ on You”. But wait, there’s more! Mars also co-wrote Flo Rida’s “Right Round” and K’naan’s “Wavin’ Flag”. Yeah, let’s just say that Bruno Mars knows what he is doing and he is ready to destroy with his first full album that is scheduled to drop in October.
While we wait for the October release, we offer up a sweet little gem in the form of an EP. On It’s Better If You Don’t Understand (released in May 2010), Mars delivers 4 hot tracks that showcase what he can do. Mars has the formula down and knows exactly how to get his music to the masses. That formula can do a lot of damage if put in the wrong hands. Thankfully, he uses his power for good and we are the victors. If Mars can keep himself out of trouble, he will no doubt become one of the biggest artists of 2011.
KC’s Personal Picks: “Count on Me” and “The Other Side” (featuring Cee Lo Green & B.o.B.)
Check out his live acoustic version of “Count on Me”
Buy It’s Better If You Don’t Understand
Oh girl. Preach on Leela James. Preach on. Now, this is some soulful R&B right here. Soulful R&B not your thing? I don’t want to say you don’t have a soul…but dude, you ain’t got no soul. One listen to Ms. James will unlock the groove that you were born with. Invite your groove to come on out and let it stroll around for a hot minute.
Ms. James
Leela James’ deep, gritty tone sounds a lot like Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin. This young woman’s voice reflects a style that is twice her age. But, her music doesn’t sound old. James’ music is relevant, refreshing and meaningful. The tracks on the recently released album, My Soul, are packed full of soul. You might be surprised at the hard driving beats that accompany her stellar vocals. Each track takes you to magical locations and then kindly introduces you to the next trip. I loved James’ 2005 release, A Change is Gonna Come, but I am IN love with My Soul. Don’t get caught sleeping on the music of Leela James. Step on up a get ready to be a part of something special through her amazing music.
KC’s Personal Picks: “Tell Me You Love Me”, “So Cold”, and “Mr. Incredible – Ms. Unforgettable”
Watch the video for “Tell Me You Love Me”
Buy the album
It’s not often two incredible artists come together to create something really special. If you’re thinking, “But wait! Miley Cyrus and Justin Beiber collaborate on stage all the time!”, you have obviously been inhaling paint fumes for the past few hours and need some time to come down off your dumb statement high. It’s ok, we’ll wait.
Now if you’re looking for a REAL artist collaboration (I’m looking at you imaginary guy from the first paragraph), look no further than the brand new album release Wake Up! from John Legend & The Roots. It’s a full on mixture of funk, hip-hop, soul, reggae, R&B – pretty much every genre ever created ever. Of course you might be thinking that too much of a good thing could in fact be a bad thing. Ye of little faith. You like John Legend right? You like The Roots right?? Then it’s not even a question of IF you are going to enjoy this album, it’s WHEN.
The first single is titled “Wake Up Everybody” and includes appearances by Melanie Fiona and rapper Common. I know, it sounds to good to be true. But if there’s anything life has taught me, it’s that it usually is especially when you find out it’s a pyramid scheme. This case is different though.
Buy Wake Up!:
