Amos Lee gets cozy with indie rockers, folk heroes, and country legends

What do Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson, Calexico, and Iron And Wine’s Sam Beam all have in common? They’re all guests on Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter Amos Lee‘s new album, Mission Bell (due January 25 on Blue Note Records). Mission Bell was produced by Joey Burns of Calexico and also features guest appearances from singer-songwriters Priscilla Ahn and Pieta Brown as well as legendary drummer James Gadson.

How did Lee connect with Calexico? After a chance meeting, Lee decided to go out to the band’s Wavelab Studio in Tucson and try some recording. “The musicality that those guys bring is just amazing,” Lee says. “It was especially nice to work with John and get a very different texture rhythmically. They’re great at creating atmosphere—sonically, they brought a beautiful dimension into a lot of the songs, and helped them to expand and breathe more.”

The track listing for Mission Bell is as follows:

1. El Camino
2. Windows Are Rolled Down
3. Violin (featuring Sam Beam)
4. Flower
5. Stay With Me (featuring Priscilla Ahn)
6. Out Of The Cold (featuring Pieta Brown)
7. Jesus (featuring James Gadson)
8. Hello Again
9. Learned A Lot
10. Cup Of Sorrow
11. Clear Blue Eyes (featuring Lucinda Williams)
12. Behind Me Now / El Camino Reprise (featuring Willie Nelson)