Singer-songwriter Amos Lee lit up Kansas City with his Tuesday performance at Uptown Theater on June 25, 2024.
Lee started the show with “Built To Fall,” the opening song from his anticipated new album, Transmissions, out August 9th. Transmissions marks Lee’s return to songwriting following the tribute albums of Chet Baker, My Ideal, and Honeysuckle Switches: The Songs of Lucinda Williams. “Built To Fall” is a sprawling, impassioned song, reminiscent of an early Bob Dylan folk song with spirited lyrics and help from the swelling band.
Throughout the night, Lee played at least a song or two from his expansive catalogue (Lee has 11 albums, including Transmissions, and several EPs and live albums), moving expertly between his folksy-rock, guitar heavy songs to his more soulful, pared down ballads that show off his vocal prowess.
The latter half of the show he played “Hold On Tight” (a track from his new record), as well as old favorites like mega-hit “Sweet Pea.” Lee interacted with the audience and included them without ever losing focus on the sound or the soul of the music. Lee and the band had fun playing together and the audience had fun playing with them, too. Lee came back for an encore and played the soulful and sexy ballad “Arms of a Woman”—one of the hit singles from his self-titled debut that helped put him on the metaphorical (and literal) map. Lee ended the show with the twangy, upbeat “Windows Are Rolled Down,” a hopeful and triumphant end to the spectacular show.
