It was opening night of Amos Lee's first headline tour since he scored his first No. 1 album in January and what happens? He comes down with strep throat. But he was trouper, giving his all for 100 minutes Thursday at the soldout State Theatre in Minneapolis. (He knows he's beloved in the Twin Cities, thanks, in part, to steady airplay on Cities 97. He even mentioned his first local gig at Bunkers as well as playing at the Minnesota Zoo when a tornado was expected but never arrived) To be honest, it sounded like he was laboring at times but he still imbued his songs with his distinctive Philly-meets-Southern soulfullness. Musically speaking, Lee sounds like he's trying, at times, to be Van Morrison, Levon Helm or Lyle Lovett but ultimately, he came across as an American answer to David Gray. Even under the best of circumstances, Lee is not the most robust singer. His emotions tend to be muted. Thus, he didn't seem to be lacking emotionally on the vocals (though I've seen him more inspired at previous shows) but what was missing was his quick sense of humor. Lee, 32, wasn't funny at all on Thursday. Between songs, he was preoccupied with tuning his acoustic guitar because, as he explained, the strep throat forced him to take the songs in a lower key. Hence, he was more low-key as a talker. Plus, he was clearly concerned about preserving his voice for singing. As Lee explained, with him having released four fairly mellow albums, no one comes to his concerts expecting energetic rock. But, backed by five musicians and two singers, he seemed to be channeling the O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass and Hall & Oates (especially the electric guitar) on "Won't Let Me Go," his all-purpose salute to different flavors of Philly soul (complete with a mid-song slow-jam "Shower with Love" seduction by male backup singer Angel). Other highlights were the gospel-soul reverie of "Arms of a Woman," the country-gospel "Cup of Sorrow" and the conviction filled "Out of the Cold" (the latter two are from his recent charttopping "Mission Bell" album). Opening were the delightful Secret Sisters, two sibling harmonizers from Alabama who love vintage country and spirituals. They showed unvarnished charm and a flair for pretty, pure, precious frontporch music that's perfect for "A Prairie Home Companion." Amos Lee set list: El Camino/ Supply and Demand/ Truth/ Dreamin'/ Bottom of the Barrel/ Flower/ Keep It Loose Keep It Tight/ solo acoustic set: Kid/ Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone (John Prine)/ Johnson Blvd. (unrecorded song)/ Out of the Cold/ trio: Stay/ full band: Cup of Sorrow/ Hello Again/ Jesus/ Won't Let Me Go/ Arms of a Woman ENCORE Windows Are Rolled Down/ Night Train