Dreamland

On his eighth album, 2022s hushed Dreamland, Amos Lee offers a soulful musical balm for a troubled world. Its a vibe hes grown increasingly reliable for, balancing his intimate acoustic balladry with moments of heartfelt country-tinged pop and soulfully hypnotic R&B anthems. Produced by Christian "Leggy" Langdon, Dreamland brings together all of these sounds, albeit in an even duskier and more low-key way than either 2016s Spirit or 2018s My New Moon. While that latter album found Lee explicitly grappling with his emotions in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Dreamland feels more generally introspective and less concretely focused on any one event or message. However, that doesnt mean its any less heartfelt. Theres a widescreen empathy to many of the songs as Lee crafts lyrical and cinematic moments that feel like hes wrapping his arms around the listener. Literally, on "Hold You" he sings, "See you in the doorway/Theres tears on your face/Singing Stand By Me/Wanna make you see/I can keep you safe." We also get the buoyantly romantic R&B groover "Shoulda Known Better," which works as an infectious amalgam of Lees Prince and Bill Withers influences. Theres also a vibrant midtempo number, "Worry No More," full of uplifting lyrics about letting go of your anxiety that nicely evokes Dangerous-era Michael Jackson. It feels intentional that much of Dreamland is relaxed in tone, pitched at the speed of early afternoon sun streaming through an open window. ~ Matt Collar