martin sexton & amos lee

martin sexton

black sheep by martin sexton. martin is an incredibly talented singer/songwriter out of boston via syracuse, ny. influenced by greats ranging from stevie wonder and van morrison to led zeppelin, sexton made his debut in 1996 with ‘black sheep’ – a work of genius with tracks as diverse as his influences. track #3 – ‘diner’ – brings together country and folk stylings, creating a sound that borders on modern bluegrass. ‘caught in the rain’ is a gentle ballad that features martin on the piano, backed by soft, soothing strings. perhaps the most lyrically interesting tune on the album is ‘candy‘ – a tawdry tale of a man’s infatuation with a much younger woman – done in a style reminiscent of early dylan. sexton’s about as good a singer/songwriter as you’ll find these days, on par with another master of his craft – amos lee.

amos lee

this man is a genius. check him out on blue note records at http://www.bluenote.com/amoslee. originally from philly, amos spent his youth between the city of brotherly love and #47 on money magazine’s best places to live in the u.s. – cherry hill, nj. not exactly a place typically associated with the kind of effortless, funky soul amos graces us with, eh?

amos made his way down to the university of south carolina in 1995 where he began playing the acoustic guitar. about south carolina, amos said, “i met my kind of people there – down to earth, sincere folks who didn’t belong to any club. they were all musicians, and they taught me how to treat my music with sincerity and integrity.” amen.

amos’ voice is angelic and filled with passion. his music begs to be heard, not just listened to. take in a performance by amos lee, and you’ll witness an effortless, transcendental display of soul, folk and blues. amos counts among his influences stevie wonder, donny hathaway, john prine, dave van ronk, bill withers, neil young and james taylor. some of my favorite amos lee tunes include, “colors”, “black river”, “arms of a woman” and “give it up.” check ‘em out on amos’ eponymous release.

welcome to harmony, inc.

music is an individual experience. each of us hears it differently, influenced by our own thoughts and feelings, our own journey in life. harmony, inc. is my musical experience. thanks for stopping by to share it with me.