Amos Lee

Much like his Blue Note labelmate Norah Jones and musical kindred spirit Ben Harper, it's all too easy to relegate Amos Lee to a certain category of gentrified bluesman. You know the type — the musician that on the surface appeals only to a certain cross-section of post-college NPR listeners who get their music on the run, whether in the form of a CD bought with their morning Starbucks coffee or a quick iTunes download of the tearjerker they heard on Grey's Anatomy. But after spending a little time soaking up the pure, quivering innocence of Lee's tenor, it's clear why the Philadelphia native has shared the stage with rock, folk and country legends such as Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello and Merle Haggard. On his latest full-length Last Days at the Lodge, Lee channels the nostalgia and honesty of a wayward jazz singer, exuding authenticity that makes his music transcend cookie-cutter roots-music regurgitation.