Transmissions (CD)

2024 release. On his eleventh studio album, Transmissions, singer-songwriter Lee continues to expand his sonic range while sharpening his closely observed lyrics that squarely address death, aging, and love. The force behind such acclaimed albums as Mission Bell and Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song, ever since his gold-selling 2005 debut Lee has been known for his association with a long list of collaborators and touring partners, from Paul Simon to Zac Brown Band. For the new project, he craved a return to an old-school style of recording, working with his longtime band in a studio in rural Marlboro, New York that was built by drummer Lee Falco and his dad out of reclaimed wood from an old church ("it's exactly what you'd think a studio in upstate New York should be," notes Lee). Playing live on the floor for long hours, in close quarters, they were able to capture the album's twelve songs in less than a week. "I really wanted us to be all in the room, making music together, listening to each other and responding to each other," says Lee. "In this age where you can do everything at home and fly it in, there's something really beautiful about getting in a room and starting at the top, the drummer counting in the song and everybody just playing. I would call it vulnerability."