You see, I'm a big Kid Rock fan, much to the surprise of many people. I don't love rap music, so when Kid bust onto the scene with his high-energy, headbanging performance of "Bawitdaba" on MTV's Spring Break, I just gaped in amazement seeing the way this guy could rev up a crowd. When I next saw the rocker he was tossing mics with Steven Tyler during "Walk This Way," owning the stage and completely holding his own next to the outrageous Aerosmith frontman. I was even more impressed. His songs were hard rocking Americana, sometimes a little raunchy for my taste, but as I learned more about Detroit's own Bob Ritchie, I discovered he was a pretty talented musician. When the Sheryl Crow duet "Picture" hit the airwaves, that sold me completely.
Strangely, it seems the country music world has accepted Kid Rock more readily than the rock/rap world from which he came. He is embraced openly by Hank Williams, Jr., Shooter Jennings and Willie Nelson. He's got some street cred in Nashville, so when Kid Rock started talking about the Zac Brown Band and hopping on stage with them for performances, I wanted to check these guys out. I had heard "Chicken Fried" and figured it was a surefire country hit, but decided to tune in during the CMT Artists of the Year special to see why these guys were being honored as one of the featured bands.
I fell in love with Zac and the boys with just one performance. Their new song "Colder Weather" is great, but it was the fact that they sang it with Amos Lee, a musician who is very special to my heart, that made me an instant fan.
I first saw Amos Lee play at a bar called Abilene in downtown Philadelphia. He was working at Tin Angel as a bartender and singing at some of the downtown bars. I was there with my husband and my cousin and her boyfriend and happened to be in a celebratory mood because that afternoon I had discovered that I was pregnant with my son. Lee was an outstanding musician, playing bluesy originals and taking requests from the crowd. The requests were pretty amusing because people would ask for R.E.M. or other pop favorites that were clearly not Lee's style, and you could tell that he was itching to do soul classics and gritty blues. I took pity on him and requested "At Last," a favorite song of mine that I thought he could do justice. He beamed at me and sang a rendition that would have made Etta James herself proud. Now, looking back, I think the song choice was prophetic -- this boy of mine was in fact my love that had come home "at last" and completed my life. In any case, I will never forget that it was Amos Lee that sang to me on that special night.
I've followed Lee's musical career in the days since Abilene, running out to buy copies of his debut album for me and my cousin as soon as they were available. When I heard "In the Arms of a Woman" during the end credits of "Gray's Anatomy," I knew he had hit the big time. He has toured with Norah Jones, Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan, and recorded two more albums since his debut. The moment when he shared the spotlight with a band being honored as one of the "Young Artists of the Year" was just perfect for me. Kudos to the Zac Brown Band for sharing the stage with this talented man and for a beautiful song. Amos Lee, thank you for another performance I'll never forget. And thanks to Kid Rock for leading me to the musical convergence that made my heart sing.
So here's today's smile, apropos of the current 32 degree temp and the fact that right now 49 out of 50 states have snow. Ladies and gentlemen, I present "Colder Weather" by the Zac Brown Band featuring Amos Lee:
http://www.cmt.com/videos/zac-brown-band/603262/colder-weather-artists-of-the year.jhtml?artist=3096016
I don't keep up with a lot of music, but Kim and I heard the Zac Brown Band open for Sugarland at the Georgia State Fair a couple of years ago. "Colder Weather" is a giant step ahead of where they were then. I love it.
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