Amos Lee

Folk-soul man Amos Lee has backing. Appearances with TV's favorite breakfast flakes Katie and Matt aside, he's got the unpredictable Blue Note Grammy machine behind him, which could easily launch him into obscurity. On the other hand, he could follow Norah Jones into the public conscience. Now's the time to catch him before he blows up or fades away. There's greatness in his grown-up but youthful Dobie Gray-meets-Dorian Gray persona. Lee's smooth pipes are timeless, comfortable and confident. He has all the hope of Lenny Kravitz before Lisa Bonet ruined him, of Jeff Buckley before he went all Billy Joe MacAllister on us. Like that of another Lee -- Arthur -- his believable romance takes up residence like a chest cold, with watery eyes, sputtering and swollen throat. Thoughtful social commentary makes "Colors" and "Dreamin'" ripe for an audience in search of comfort from a man in a porkpie hat. Like Sinatra with Sammy's conscience.