By Stevie Connor.
Amos Lee has shared a soulful and buoyant reimagining of Lucinda Williams’ “Fruits of My Labor” off her GRAMMY-nominated album World Without Tears, the second advance track from his forthcoming tribute record, Honeysuckle Switches (The Songs of Lucinda Williams), out for RSD Black Friday (November 24) via Thirty Tigers. Lee offers a rhythmic acoustic take on the track from his “songwriting hero” layered with powerful vocals, dynamic harmonies, twangy slide guitar, and upright bass. Lee had first heard Lucinda’s song anew while on tour in St. Louis, listening to actress Britt Lower (Severance)perform it in a way he had never heard before; “It unlocked something,” he recalls.
Following the release of his critically-lauded 2022 album Dreamland, Lee didn’t set off with the intention of creating a tribute record. The process came about rather organically, as he dug into Williams’ catalog and felt drawn to the songs he needed most as a source of healing. Honeysuckle Switches is an expression of gratitude towards Williams and her music for giving strength to face life's most trying moments. Williams has been a formative artist for Lee dating back to his teenage years, getting hooked on her writing while listening to Car Wheels on WXPN in his native Philadelphia. Later, he’d get the chance to collaborate with her on his Billboard chart-topping record Mission Bell, while also sharing stages together across the country. Honeysuckle Switches features Williams originals from her breakout Sweet Old World to the modern-era classic Blessed. Last month, Amos shared his take on "Greenville," Williams' Emmylou Harris collaboration from her 1998 masterpiece Car Wheels On A Gravel Road.
Honeysuckle Switches follows a banner 2022 for Lee - which saw him perform on stages from Red Rocks to The Ryman, while bringing his latest album Dreamland to national television audiences on Good Morning America, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Rachael Ray and The Late Late Show with James Corden. Teaming with Record Store Day for the album’s release marks a full-circle moment for Lee, who discovered his lifelong musical passion while working at the independent Papa Jazz Record Shoppe in Columbia, South Carolina.
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