Amos Lee has unveiled My Ideal (A Tribute To Chet Baker Sings) , a 16-song collection that simultaneously pays tribute to Lee's musical hero, reflects on the Billboard chart-topper's deep jazz roots, shines a light on his Philadelphia music community, and toasts an exciting year of returning to the road and releasing new music. Chet Baker Sings is a record that Amos has always loved, but now holds even deeper meaning as a source of light in the darkest days of the pandemic - where his daily routine included waking up, meditating and playing the 1954 jazz epic front-to-back. During what he describes as a "revelatory period" of diving deep into the nuances of the record, "seeing what it felt like to walk around in Chet Baker's shoes," Lee knew the next step was to take his deep reverence and curiosity into the recording studio. Accompanied by a captivating trio of jazz players from his hometown of Philadelphia - David Streim (piano/trumpet), Madison Rast (bass) and Anwar Marshall (drums) - Lee powerfully brings My Ideal to life.
The new album finds Lee bringing his own celebrated vocal work to the music of Chet Baker, taking inspiration from the originals without attempting to reproduce or duplicate his hero. Studying the breath work and pitch control behind Baker's legendary output proved to be an exercise that Lee says "changed everything," adding: "the deeper I got inside the music, the more I fell in love with everything about it.” On My Ideal, listeners are reminded of a voice naturally suited for the jazz genre, and of Lee's earliest work on Blue Note Records. But My Ideal does not dwell in the past, neither Lee's nor Baker's, containing many of the same beloved elements that made 2022 such a banner year for Amos. Among those highs are shows at legendary venues like Red Rocks, The Ryman and The Kennedy Center, television performances from The Late Late Show to Good Morning America and the release of his critically-lauded new album of originals Dreamland.
Amos Lee's "folksy, bluesy sound" has been compared to that of John Prine and Norah Jones. His music is said to utilize the "supple funk of his vocals and arid strum of his guitar" while recalling "the low-volume, early-'70s acoustic soul of stars like Bill Withers and Minnie Ripperton". A New York Times music critic described Lee as having a "honeyed singing voice – light amber, mildly sweet, a touch of grain" which he features "squarely, without much fuss or undue strain" in his "1970s folk rock and rustic soul" musical song craft.
According to a music writer at ABC News, Lee "has that folksy, bluesy vibe, with a bit of country twang" and a voice that is "ever soulful". Simultaneously Lee has been both lauded and dismissed as the "male Norah Jones" and his lyrics are said to convey "the complexities of everyday emotions" without falling into flowery imagery. Lee's songs have appeared on a number of TV shows including House and Parenthood.